Chuck's Dilemma
by kaela097
Summary: How does Chuck deal with the realization that his little girl is growing up and ready to begin dating?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Thank you everyone for the wonderful storyline ideas that were provided. I decided to go with this story as it has been a consistent request through my many stories (and that I already had the idea churning in my head was an added bonus). For those that suggested other storylines, fear not, I may get to them eventually.**

**Additional note, I have updated my story sequence in my profile. For those of you that haven't read my other stories, there are many references to my other works in this Blair - Chuck saga I have written, so please check them out. Some of those storylines that were requested have already been tackled in other stories.**

**Having said all of that, please enjoy this latest chapter in Blair and Chuck's life, and let me know what you think.**

Blair was hard at work at her drawing board as she worked out the kinks of her newest line that was due to be shown in Milan in a few months time. Suddenly her office door was opened without warning and in popped her fifteen-year-old daughter.

"Hi, Mom," Charlotte stated cheerfully as she darted around Blair's desk to hug her in greeting.

"Charlee, what a surprise," Blair smiled as she hugged her warmly. "Did you bring your brothers with you?"

"Arthur dropped them off at the penthouse before he drove me here. Brice has a school report due tomorrow that he hasn't even started, and Aiden has other homework he wanted to get a head start on before he helped Chef with dinner," Charlotte explained as she plopped herself down in one of the two leather chairs in her mother's office as her mother walked around her desk and took the other.

"How was your day at school?" Blair inquired as her daughter smoothed out the pleats of her school uniform skirt. Though they had reservations, Chuck and Blair decided to enroll her in Constance and would enroll Brice and Aiden when their turns came into Saint Judes, as it was the best school money could buy.

"I received my grade from that presentation I did last week on Bass Industries financial prospects," she smiled, "My perfect GPA is still very much in tact."

Blair smiled. Her daughter was such the bookworm like she had been.

"Is there a particular reason you came to see me today?" Blair inquired curiously.

"Does a daughter need a reason to stop by to see her mother?" Charlotte responded, mock hurt in her voice.

"She doesn't need a reason, but she usually has one," Blair eyed her skeptically.

"There's this school dance next week," Charlotte began. "And . . ."

"There's this boy that has asked you to go with him. You really want to go, but you're afraid of what your father will do or say when you tell him," Blair finished her daughter's sentence as a groan followed her reply.

Chuck had held firm that Charlotte was still too young to date.

"You know how overprotective Daddy is," Charlotte sighed, "If a boy looks at me for two seconds too long, he's on his phone to his PI looking for incriminating photos."

"He's just doing it because he loves you," Blair defended her husband, "At least your father cares. There aren't many who do."

"Grampy loves you," Charlotte responded.

"You and I are two of the lucky few," Blair added. "Who's the boy?"

"He's a really sweet boy, kind of quiet and shy, but really cute and smart," Charlotte began, her eyes beaming as she spoke. Blair recognized that look. She'd had that look once upon a time. Her daughter was clearly smitten.

"What's his name, Charlee?" Blair pressed.

"He has these dreamy green eyes and jet black hair cut really short," Charlotte continued.

"What is his name?" Blair repeated.

"He has this cute little crooked smile, kind of like its broken, but in the cutest way," Charlotte added.

"His name, Charlotte," Blair demanded as she covered her daughter's hands with hers to get her attention.

"Evan Sparks," she spoke softly as she bit her lip in nervousness.

"Sparks!" Blair squeaked out. "As in Georgina Sparks!"

"I know what you're going to say, but he's nothing like his mother. He wasn't even raised by her. He sees her maybe once a year," Charlotte defended her choice of dates.

"Charlotte Evelyn Waldorf-Bass, could you have chosen someone a little less complicated for your first date!" Blair exclaimed. "Your father is never going to let you date this boy."

"That's why I came to you first," Charlotte responded, "Mom, I really like him. There is this energy that passes between us when he takes my hand in the hallway at school."

"For heaven's sake, Charlotte, don't tell that to your father," Blair groaned.

Blair and Chuck had been very honest with their children regarding their complicated relationship, almost too honest. They didn't want their children to repeat their mistakes, but it was getting to the point where whenever they brought up the phrase 'When your father and I were growing up' there was a simultaneous groan and roll of the eyes from all three of their children.

"Mom, he has to let me date sometime," Charlotte rationalized.

"And you know he's hoping to wait until you're thirty," Blair chuckled as her husband's words from many conversations repeated in her head.

"I'm not a little girl anymore," Charlotte stuck out her lip to pout as she tossed several strands of her long, brunette hair behind her shoulder. "If we were in a third world country, I'd be married and have three children already."

"But you live in the Upper East Side," Blair responded, "And have an insanely overprotective father."

"All of my friends have dates," Charlotte stomped her heel before she crossed the room to take in her mother's view of New York from her loft. "I'm going to be the only one going to the dance without a date. Do you know how pathetic that looks? Do you know what it's like to be the only one of my friends who a) has never been on a date, b) has never been kissed, and c) has never been to second base."

"Don't be in such a hurry to run around the bases, Sweetheart," Blair cautioned her, "Just because your friends are doing it, does not mean that it's right for you."

"But I want to date, specifically I want to date Evan. He's a good guy, Mom, I promise," Charlotte stated.

"Let me talk to your father," Blair offered. "I'm not making any promises, but I will broach the subject with him."

"Thank you, Mommy!" Charlotte exclaimed as she turned around suddenly and leapt into Blair's arms to hug her tight.

"Remember that I'm not making any promises," Blair responded as she smoothed down a rogue curl of her daughter's hair. "Even my considerable powers of persuasion may not be able to convince him to allow you to have your first date."

"I know you'll convince him," she responded confidently, "You can talk Daddy into anything."

Blair wasn't nearly as confident as her daughter. She and her husband of over seventeen years had discussed Charlotte's social calendar activities numerous times over the past year. He'd been adamant that Charlotte was not ready to date even though Blair had taken the opposing view. It was one of the few arguments they'd had over the years that they hadn't been able to resolve.

"Are you going to be coming home soon?" Charlotte inquired as she pulled away, her face beaming with happiness, "Or is it going to be another typical late night?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to come home with you," Blair surprised her daughter by reaching for her handbag and coat.

Charlotte squealed with delight as her and her mother linked arms and left the office.

* * *

Chuck stepped off the elevator expecting to be greeted by Brice's faithful companion, Barty , but nobody else as had become the routine. To his great surprise, Blair was stand at the elevator waiting for him as she'd done so many times before much earlier in their marriage.

"My beautiful wife waiting anxiously for me," Chuck grinned as he pulled her into his arms, "To what do I owe the honor? None of the children are in trouble are they?"

"No one is in trouble. No one is sick, and no one is injured," she assured him as she was engulfed into his strong arms. She sighed like a little schoolgirl as she felt the familiar pull her husband had on her.

"What are you doing home so early?" he inquired as his hands ran down her back seductively as he dropped his briefcase to the floor.

"Why is everyone surprised that I'm home early?" she inquired. She'd had virtually the same conversation with her sons when she and Charlotte stepped off the elevator when she first arrived home.

"Because you work longer hours than I do," he replied as he began lightly biting at her neck.

"Are you calling me a workaholic?" she frowned.

"Yes," he laughed.

She slapped his shoulder lightly in scolding. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

"Such a tired cliché," he rolled his eyes as his fingers slid beneath her blouse as the tips traced along her spine. He felt her shiver at his touch though her skin was on fire. As she melted further into his embrace, he knew her shiver had nothing to do with any chill in the air. The knowledge that he'd caused the shiver boosted his ego in ways he didn't need.

"Dinner is almost ready," she warned him, "And the children are milling around."

"So no pre-dinner appetizer," he groaned in disappointment.

"But I promised an extra special dessert," she smirked.

"Are they at it again?" Brice groaned in disgust as he found his parents in an all too familiar embrace as he made his way to the dining room, having been told by his younger brother, Aiden, that dinner was nearly ready.

"I think it's sweet," Charlotte replied as she stopped to kiss her father's cheek in greeting before she followed Brice along into the dining room, "At least our parents can tolerate being in the same room together without lawyers being present."

"Have I ever mentioned that you're my favorite daughter, Charlotte?" Chuck laughed as he reluctantly released his wife and followed his children into the dining room.

"That's not nearly as complimentary as it was when she was seven," Brice quipped as he took his usual seat.

"When Brice pointed out that I was your only daughter," Charlotte chimed in.

"You've always been entirely too bright for your own good," Chuck scowled playfully at his son as he took his usual seat at the head of the table, with his bride at his side. He surveyed the table.

"We're missing one."

"Only one for a change," Brice added dryly. It was rare for the entire family to eat together. Chuck was usually home for dinner, but Blair was almost always the missing piece of the puzzle as she usually stayed well into the evening, though she was always home in time to tuck the children in to bed.

"Aiden is . . ." Chuck began to ask.

"In the kitchen," his children responded in unison.

"Helping the chef," Chuck added. There was nothing unusual in that statement.

Aiden was born to be a culinary master. Since he was old enough to reach the stove, he'd been helping first a patient Dorota and then their decidedly less patient personal chef in the kitchen. He wasn't book smart like his other siblings, but he knew his way around the kitchen. He talents would take him far. On the nights their chef needed the evening off, Aiden was always eager to step in, and despite his young age, there wasn't a beat missed.

Chuck reached out for his wife's hand as they waited for dinner to be served, bringing it to his lips for s soft kiss.

"Charlee, where's the cold water?" Brice inquired, "I believe our parents need to be cooled off."

Charlotte sent him daggers with her eyes. There was an unspoken threat exchanged between the pair as Aiden came in, tripping over Barty, Brice's dog, as he bounced into the room.

Fortunately, there was no food in his hands, and he caught himself before he crashed into the table, much to his parent's relief.

"Sorry, Barty," Aiden told the dog as he bent down to rub his head affectionately. Barty trotted to his place in between the brothers as Aiden took his seat, waiting for the scraps of food the brothers were sure to toss in his direction.

"Did you forget the food?" Brice inquired as he looked to his brother in annoyance.

"Chef is putting that final touches on it," Aiden replied, "It will be ready in a few moments."

"And you're not helping him serve," Brice pressed, "Is there a special occasion I'm not aware of?"

"You've been such a grump all afternoon," Charlotte told him as she took a sip of her water, "If you were a girl, I'd accuse you of PMSing."

"Lady trouble, Big Brother?" Aiden added to Charlotte's insult.

Chuck groaned at the reference. Brice was getting close to the age in which he was when he first lost his virginity, and he was determined that his son not follow in his footsteps. He was already very popular with the prepubescent girls at his prep school. He had dozens of girls following him around, calling him at all hours of the day and night. It had become rule that all phones were to be silenced after ten o'clock each evening, so that everyone could retire to their rooms for some peace and quiet.

"None of your business," Brice hissed.

Blair looked to her husband with raised eyebrow. He nodded at her unspoken question. He'd be having a talk with his son after dinner. Brice sulked in his chair as he knew it too.

**TBC . . .**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews. A couple of questions popped up that I wanted to address.**

**Meg – My FanFiction . net BBF (Lori2279) pointed out SimplyShelbySJL's 'Breakfast with the Basses' when I first came up with the idea for this story. I hadn't read it prior. I've glanced over it. There are a few similarities, but I think this story is different enough to keep going.**

**Em – I think in this story that Chuck and Blair would be creeping towards their 40's, but aren't there yet.**

**Janice93 – I wouldn't say this is the final chapter of Blair and Chuck's life, but it may end up being the final chapter that I write. Time will tell.**

"Okay, Brice, spill. What is going on with you?" Chuck inquired as he asked his son to accompany him into his office after their usually sarcastic son took his show to an annoying new level they all were forced to endure during dinner.

"Why is it that whenever I'm in a bad mood I get pulled in here to have some unnecessary talk?" Brice complained as he plopped down on the black leather sofa. If his father was going to play the part of a shrink, he was going to play his role of the patient as he laid himself out.

"Be happy that someone notices your bad mood," Chuck told him.

"Why can't you be like everyone else's parents and just leave me alone? Grandpa Bart never brought you into his office to discuss your feelings and you turned out all right," Brice spoke without really thinking.

"Brice Nathaniel Waldorf-Bass, think before you speak," his father scolded him. "You know very well that what Grandpa Bart didn't do affected me in the most negative of ways. It took your mother's love and patience to get to where I am today."

"Nobody else's parents care what their children do. Nobody else's parents watch their every move, ensure that they don't sneak out of their homes at night or make them turn off their phones," Brice whined.

"I don't give a damn about anyone else's children, but I care a great deal for mine. I'm not going to apologize for taking an interest in your life," Chuck told him.

"Just once I wish I could do something without you looking over my shoulder," Brice sighed.

"What's this about?" Chuck prodded.

"There's this dance . . ." Brice began. He stopped as he thought his father was going to interrupt him, but Chuck waited patiently for him to finish. "Sadie Hawkins asked me to go."

"Is that really someone's name?" Chuck couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

"Ironic, I know," Brice rolled his eyes, "But I know I have to turn her down because you won't let me go."

"Your thirteen, Brice," Chuck sighed, "You'll have your fill of dances when you get older."

"Like that's ever going to happen," Brice responded sarcastically. "Charlotte is fifteen and is barely allowed to speak to boys, never mind the fact that most of her friends are rounding third base already."

"You're too young to know the meaning of that statement," Chuck scolded him.

"Wake up, Dad," Brice responded, "We're not little kids anymore. Charlee is fifteen. Aiden is nine. I'm thirteen. We're not still those little babies you used to rock to sleep each night."

"Which is unfortunate as you were much quieter then," Chuck quipped.

"I know I'm not allowed to date. I get that, but it would be nice to know when I possibly could," Brice responded.

"When your thirty," Chuck responded without missing a beat.

"How about a realistic answer this time," his son responded instantly.

Chuck was cursing his son's intellect at the moment. Blair was right. His son had the same quick wit that he'd had at that same age. It wasn't until Brice had started spouting off to both him and Blair that he realized how truly insufferable he'd been. He'd gone so far as to apology to Lily personally though he was certain she hadn't dealt with the worst of his insufferableness.

"That's still up for debate," Chuck responded through gritted teeth.

"Keep me posted," Brice replied sarcastically as he stood up abruptly and left the room.

Blair strolled in a few moments later and began massaging her husband's tense shoulders. Chuck sighed in relief.

"What's that sigh about, Bass?" she inquired as she worked a little harder on his shoulders. She hadn't felt him this tense in a long time.

"We're good parents, aren't we?" he asked.

"Are you wanting a letter grade? And if so, are we grading on a curve?" she inquired as she pressed into his shoulder a little harder to work out the knot she found. "Because I happen to think that we set the curve if we're comparing ourselves to the other parents in Manhattan."

"Do you think we're suffocating our children?" he pressed.

"What did Brice say to you?" Blair inquired as she shifted course and decided to sit in his lap. When he was this tense, there was only one truly effective stress reliever.

"He was asked out to a dance and was upset he had to turn the girl down because we won't let him go," Chuck explained.

"He's thirteen. He's too young to date, especially a girl brave enough to ask such a handsome young man like Brice," Blair replied.

"And for the most part, I think he's okay with that," Chuck responded as his hand ran along her stocking covered thigh slowly. He knew she wore them merely to tempt him and it always worked. "But he'd also like to know when he might be able to date."

"Then you have to answer the question as to when you're going to allow Charlotte to date," Blair responded, "I will not be setting different rules for Brice and Aiden than we are for Charlotte."

"But it's different for girls than it is boys," Chuck groaned.

"No, it's sexist," Blair responded sternly. "If Charlotte cannot date until she's thirty then neither can Brice or Aiden."

"Blair . . ." he began.

"I don't want any of that nonsense about the boys not ending up pregnant," Blair responded as she interrupted his train of thought. "They can just as easily get a girl pregnant as Charlotte could end up that way."

Chuck's face immediately turned crimson as that unpleasant thought entered his mind. That anyone could violate his daughter in that way sickened him as nothing else in his life ever had.

"Chuck, we're raising our children right. Sooner or later, we're going to have to let them go out into the world and trust them to do the right thing," Blair responded.

"No, we keep Charlotte locked up forever," Chuck responded. He knew he was being irrational, but this was his little girl. This was the little girl he'd spent hours rocking, read fairytale after fairytale to, and who always looked to him with her large doe eyes as if he could truly do no wrong. He couldn't help being overprotective.

"Are you done pouting yet?" Blair inquired as she tapped at his lip that was stuck out in such a cute little pout. She was brought back to when Brice was a little boy, having one of his pathetic little tantrums.

"No," Chuck tried to fight off a smile he felt coming.

"How about now?" Blair inquired as she bent in and began lightly sucking on his Adam's apple.

Chuck's drawn out groan echoed in the room, with her name following shortly after as she bit down sharply.

"You have to keep it down, Bass," Blair cautioned him, "This room isn't soundproof."

"It does the children some good to hear their parents' intimate moments from time to time," he grinned as he lifted her into his arms and transplanted her to the leather sofa Brice had laid out on earlier.

"Trying to scare them straight?" she grinned as he began unbuttoning her blouse and quickly parting it to get his hands on her porcelain skin.

"If that were my intent, they would have been scared ages ago," he laughed, "I'm sure they're immune to it all by now."

"Chuck," Blair halted his actions when he looked deep into her eyes. "There's a boy that's asked Charlotte to a dance. She really wants to go, and I think we should let her."

"She's my little girl," Chuck shook his head as he immediately dismissed his wife's suggestion.

"She's our little girl," Blair corrected him as she saw the tears pool in his eyes, "And she'll always be our little girl."

"I've always been the most important man in her life," he responded as a single tear fell.

"And you still will be," she assured him as she brushed the tear away, "She has years before she finds the man to replace you."

"No," he shook his head, "Absolutely not. She's not ready to date."

"You're not ready for her to date," Blair amended, "I get that you worry about her, but we have to allow this."

"No, we don't," he held firm, "She's not prepared for those hormonal boys that will come calling. She doesn't know their tricks."

"She knows," Blair assured him, "You've told her ever trick in your arsenal."

"No," he shook his head.

"Now that that's out of the way," Blair sighed, "She's going."

"I want to meet him first," Chuck countered, "And I get to do a full background check on him."

"Then you need to know his name is Evan Sparks," Blair responded softly.

"Sparks!" Chuck exclaimed as he rose up from the sofa. "The spawn of Satan's offspring, absolutely not."

"Chuck, Georgina is not even a part of his life," Blair tried to calm him down, "He sees her once a year."

"NO!" Chuck exploded with rage. "This is just some sick, twisted way for her to get back at us for all the things we did to her."

"He's a fifteen-year-old boy," Blair responded.

"Do you know what I was doing when I was fifteen?" he continued to rage.

"I know exactly what and who you were doing," she assured him as she rubbed his chest softly through the fabric of his shirt. "If we forbid this, it will only make wanting to see him all the more desirable. This is just her first crush. It will pass."

"Your first crush lasted nearly a decade," Chuck pointed out.

"But my second will last a lifetime," she replied as she ran her fingers along his chiseled jaw.

"You're not helping your case right now," Chuck informed her.

"Please," she batted her eyelashes in a way he was hard pressed to resist.

"That's not fair," Chuck moaned as he turned away quickly. He couldn't resist that look, and he knew he had to this time. His daughter's welfare was at stake.

"I'll bring Charlotte in here and have her give you the puppy dog face," Blair threatened him as she stepped towards the door intent on calling her daughter into the room. "As hard as I am to resist, she's a million times worse."

"Nobody is harder for me to resist than you," he told her as he snatched her wrist and brought her back to him, kissing her soundly.

"So I can tell Charlotte that she can go," Blair stated hopefully.

"No," he shook his head.

"No," she repeated in surprise.

"No," he reiterated, "I'll tell her she can go, but I have conditions."

"I expected as much," she chuckled softly.

"I get to meet him first. I still get to check him out . . ." Blair was going to interrupt him, but he continued on. " . . . to ensure that his satanic mother is truly as out of the picture as you say she is. Charlotte wears a tasteful dress, no bare shoulders, no cle . . .cleavage, the dress flows to her knees or beyond. Arthur drives her and her . .da . date to and from the dance, not in the limo, but in a town car with no glass partitions. She has a strict curfew. No kissing or other inappropriate touching."

"Anything else?" she inquired as she bit her lip to keep her laughter at bay at his long list of demands.

"Yes," he nodded, "You and I chaperone the dance."

"Why don't we just place her in a convent right now," Blair suggested, "Because no boy will ever ask her out again if I give in to all your demands."

"All the more reason to hold firm," he responded, with a slight hint of a twinkle in his eyes.

"You are incorrigible," she rolled her eyes as he stepped away from her and went to the door himself.

"Charlotte, will you come here for a minute? Your mother and I need to speak to you," Chuck called out for his daughter. Blair began frantically buttoning her blouse, missing buttons and aligning them incorrectly in her haste.

"A little warning would have been nice," Blair scolded him as Charlotte came to a skidding halt in front of them, trying her best to ignore her mother's haggard appearance. She knew that the more haggard her mother's appearance, the better it was for her.

"Your mother and I have decided to let you attend this dance with this boy who has asked you," Chuck told his daughter.

"Oh, thank you, Daddy!" Charlotte squealed with excitement as she threw her arms around her father's neck.

"But," Chuck added quickly.

"But," Charlotte repeated tentatively. She didn't like where this was heading. She stepped back to wait for her father to continue.

"We have a few conditions," Blair chimed in. It was always best to present a united front where the children were concerned, even if she didn't totally agree with her husband's demands.

"Such as?" Charlotte asked nervously.

Chuck began to ramble off the same laundry list of items he had for Blair. Charlottes face contorted in horror that she mixed in groans of disappointment, but it wasn't anything she hadn't already expected. When he appeared to finish, she added, "Anything else?"

"One more thing," he told her as his wife looked to him in surprise. "Before you can go out on a date with this boy, you must go out on a date with your father, so you will know how you're supposed to be treated."

"Dad!" Charlotte exclaimed in surprise while Blair added, "Chuck!" in the same tone.

"I'm not negotiating on this," Chuck held firm.

"Daddy, I'd die of embarrassment if any of my friends saw us together," Charlotte responded as she blushed with the mortification that she felt at the prospect.

"If you want to go to the dance with this boy, you will endure what I'm sure will be the most humiliating night of your life first," Chuck responded dryly.

"Mom," Charlotte whined as she looked to her mother for a little support, but she would receive none. Though her mother was surprised by the condition, as she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that it was actually a very good idea. Nobody would treat their daughter better than her own father. She almost wished her father had done the same thing for her when she began dating.

"I'm with your father on this," Blair replied. She and Chuck exchanged looks of surprise. He hadn't expected her to back him up on this, but as his arm snaked around her waist to pull her tight against his hip, his lips kissed her temple in a silent thank you for her support.

Charlotte stomped her foot and gave a shout of annoyance as she left the room in a huff.

"She gets more like you everyday," Chuck laughed as he heard Charlotte's bedroom door slam closed a few moments later.

"Is that a compliment or complaint?" Blair inquired as they began the short journey to their bedroom where her husband was sure to remove the atrociously buttoned blouse she had on.

"The highest of compliments," he told her as he lifted her into his arms without warning. She squealed with delight has he carried her swiftly to their bedroom.

* * *

"You are a genius," Blair stroke her husband's ego as they lay in bed wrapped tightly in each other's arms. Their chests rose and fell rapidly as they tried to catch their breath after their romp.

"Because of my sexual prowess or is it something more this evening?" he chuckled as he ran his fingers against her bare back slowly.

"Taking Charlotte on her first date yourself," Blair elaborated as she kissed his shoulder, "You'll surely set the highest example that no other boy will ever be able to meet."

"That is my plan," he told her with a mischievous grin, "Set an impossible standard."

"I wish my father had thought of it," Blair sighed as she rested her head against his chest to listen to his still rapidly beating heart. She smirked at how hard it was hammering. After more than twenty years together, she could still get his heart racing.

"I'm not," he chuckled as his fingers sifted through her slightly rumbled curls. "I never would have been able to measure up. It wasn't until we had Charlotte that I truly had any clue how a lady should be treated."

"You give yourself far too little credit, Daddy Bass," she chuckled, "You always treated me like royalty."

"That's not entirely true," he sighed, "Does blogging about our sex life to Gossip Girl and comparing you to my father's sweaty old horse ring any bells?"

"I wonder what every happened to her," Blair sighed. After college, Gossip Girl blasts became a thing of the past. For the first year or so, she missed them, but it had been years since she'd given the blogger any thought.

"The better question might be, who was Gossip Girl," Chuck corrected her, "It may not have even been a she."

"You mean even your PIs couldn't sniff her out," Blair laughed.

"The secret was locked tighter than your legs were until I managed to pry them open," he teased.

"I can't believe you just said that," she groaned as she slapped his chest.

"I had a point a few moments ago," he tried to recall, "But your tantalizing slap has put me back in the mood. What do you say, Beautiful?"

"You are still the energizer bunny," she shook her head as she laughed softly. "Your temples are turning grey, your hairline has receded just a touch, but you still have the stamina of a fifteen year old boy."

"That's not funny, Bass," he told her stoically as his face turned suddenly serious.

"Which part?" she bit her lip to keep the laughter at bay once again that evening, "Greying temples, receding hairline, or the stamina of a fifteen year old boy?"

"I can deal with grey hair and a rece . . . receding hairline," he stammered out, "But the stamina of a fifteen year old boy is nothing to joke about, especially since we've agreed to let our very own fifteen year old daughter date one."

"You take the cake when it comes to doting dads," she chuckled as she caressed his chest affectionately. "My father has nothing on you."

Chuck kissed Blair soundly on the lips in response.

"What are we going to do about Brice's foul mood?" Blair responded when she broke free for breath.

"There isn't a lot we can do," Chuck responded, "Brice isn't going to date this girl until he's at least fifteen, and only after his doting mother takes him out for a proper date to show him how a true gentleman is expected to behave."

"Who was the girl that asked him anyways?" she inquired.

"Sadie Hawkins," Chuck responded.

"There are no Hawkins in Brice's school," Blair responded as her mind went through all of Brice's classmates, "And certainly nobody named Sadie."

"He wouldn't make this up," Chuck responded, "Perhaps I misheard him."

"I think we've been played," Blair replied as she eyed her husband curiously. "This has Charlotte and Brice's scheming minds written all over it."

"I can't believe after all of our years of scheming that I didn't see through this. It's not even a well thought out scheme. We're smarter than this, aren't we," Chuck laughed. "I don't know whether to be angry at them or proud that they finally managed to pull one over on us."

"We should punish them," Blair responded as her cheeks crimson in anger. She apparently wasn't having Chuck's dilemma. She'd gone straight to anger.

"I think making Charlotte go out with her dear old dad will be punishment enough for her," Chuck laughed as he caressed Blair's back with a little more pressure to calm his feisty wife down, "But we'll throw in a month's worth of allowance for good measure."

"What about Brice?" Blair responded as she bowed her head to capture his lips in a scorching kiss.

"We'll have him also forfeit his allowance for a month and volunteer at the dance. Serving punch should do the boy a bit of good," Chuck replied.

"And humiliate him sufficiently to all the upperclassmen he'll have to contend with in a few years," Blair added.

"It will just make it all the more gratifying for him in a few years when he owns that school," Chuck added. "He's too much like his mother to settle for anything less than total school domination. He'll let Charlotte carry the crown for a while, but in the end, he'll make his move."

"And then pass along the torch to Aiden," Blair mused.

"If he'll want it," Chuck replied, "Aiden is more of a go with the flow sort of kid. I'm not sure he'll want to reign over the school the way you once did."

"We should get some sleep," Blair sighed as her head came to rest against her husband's chest again.

"Or not," he laughed as he rolled her under him without warning. Her laughter mixed in with his as they proceeded to make love again.

**TBC . . .**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Mother, would you please talk Daddy out of this," Charlotte whined as she sat in front of her vanity as she prepared for her 'date' with her father. She'd been dreading this evening all week. Even the smile on Evan's face when she'd told him that she could go to the dance could not cheer her up. She certainly hadn't told any of her friends about her upcoming evening.

"I'm not talking him out of anything," Blair replied as she curled a lock of her daughter's hair. "I happen to believe this is a wonderful idea."

"This is so humiliating," Charlotte continued to whine. "What if one of my friends sees us?"

"Your father is taking you to one of the most elegant and exclusive restaurants in the city," Blair laughed, "I highly doubt your friends will be staking the place out merely so they can torment you."

"You were my age once, weren't you?" Charlotte moaned, "Put yourself in my shoes."

"I would have loved it if my father took me out for such an elegant dinner," Blair replied. "When I was your age, the only dinner my father took me out to was to tell me that he divorcing my mother and moving to France. I can assure you that won't happen with your father. You are a very lucky girl, Charlotte. I hope you know that."

"I do," she sighed.

All her friends' parents were either divorced or so unhappy in their marriages that they should have been. Her parents were not only enormously happy, but couldn't keep their hands off each other everyday of the week. She'd even heard them having sex earlier that evening just before her father started to prepare for his 'date', which explained her mother's current glow. While her brothers found their parents' sex life nauseating, she found it comforting.

"Charlotte, I know that going on a date with your father is a tad embarrassing for a fifteen year old, but I think it's best if you look at it from a positive angle. Your father loves you more than anything in this world. You are his little princess. He just wants you to see how you deserve to be treated by any potential suitors," Blair advised her daughter.

"Suitors," Charlotte repeated with a roll of her eyes, "We're not living in the middle ages, Mother. We call them boyfriends now."

"I'm very aware of what they are called now," Blair shook her daughter's shoulders gently as she laughed, "I'm not that old."

"Excuse me, Ms. Blair, Miss Charlotte, but there is a man that is here to see you," Dorota smiled eagerly as she scurried into Charlotte's bedroom.

Blair looked at her watch and smiled. "Your father is right on time," Blair announced.

"Are you serious?" Charlotte groaned, "He's even picking me up for this date. "

"Yes, and your father has asked Aiden to be his stand in for the evening," Blair replied. "Brice still gets to play the annoying kid brother. It shouldn't be too much of a stretch for him."

"Could this night get any worse?" Charlotte groaned as she buried her head in her hands in mortification.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Blair reassured her daughter as she fixed a rouge curl on her daughter's shoulder, "Your father is a very charming date. I did marry him for a reason."

"I thought it was because the sex was so good," Charlotte grumbled.

"That was part of it," Blair giggled as her daughter's cheeks crimsoned further, "But there is more to our relationship than fantastic sex."

"I don't want to hear that," Charlotte cringed as she covered her ears in horror as she thought that her mother might elaborate further. While the thought of the act comforted her, hearing about it from her mother wasn't.

"He's an excellent conversationalist," Blair replied as she pulled her daughter's hands away from her ears.

"Can we just get this over with?" Charlotte groaned.

"Dorota, tell Charlotte's date that she needs just a few more minutes," Blair told their loyal housekeeper.

"Yes, Ms. Blair," Dorota turned and scurried back to the entryway as making the appropriate cooing noises as to how grown up Charlotte looked.

"But I'm ready," Charlotte told her mother as she frowned in confusion.

"First rule of dating, Sweetheart. It's best to keep the young man waiting for a few minutes," Blair informed her daughter, "It gives you a bit of an edge for the evening, and makes them sweat it out for a few minutes. Just reapply your lipstick one more time and then come join us in the entryway."

Charlotte groaned as her mother disappeared. She knew this night was going to be positively dreadful.

"Charlotte is almost ready," Blair announced as she entered the entryway.

"Good evening, Mrs. Bass," Chuck began as he handed his wife a bouquet of her favorite pink peonies as the evening began.

"Thank you, young man," Blair eyed him playfully, "Is that a new suit for this evening?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Chuck nodded, "I wanted to make sure that I looked presentable for a night out with your daughter."

"I hope you won't keep our daughter out too late," Aiden chimed in as he tried to sound stern like he guessed his father would be when the actual time came for the real event, but he knew no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't succeed. He simply was too kind hearted to do the role justice.

"No, Sir," Chuck shook his head slowly, "I'm taking your daughter for a nice dinner and then a Broadway show. I promise, I'll have her back by ten."

"Hi, Daddy," Charlotte stated as she walked into the entryway, biting her lip in nervousness. Even though she'd had dinner with her father on countless occasions, she was still nervous for her first 'date'.

"Call me Charles this evening," her father instructed her.

"But your Daddy," she responded in confusion.

"Tonight, I am your date," Chuck told her, "So it's Charles . . . just for this one evening."

"Okay," Charlotte responded as she took a deep breath to calm the butterflies. "Hi, Charles."

"Good evening, Miss Bass, these are for you," Chuck told her as he bowed slightly while extending her a bouquet of her favorite white lilies.

"Thank you, Daddy," Charlotte responded as she accepted the bouquet and inhaled their scent, "I mean, Charles."

"Brice, would you please put these in water for your sister?" Blair asked her son as she took the bouquet from Charlotte and handed them to him.

"I thought I was going to be able to torment Charlotte's date," Brice whined.

"Another time perhaps," Blair responded curtly as she shoved the flowers into his hands and thrust him towards the kitchen where the vases were kept. She could tell by the look on her daughter's face that she was ready to barricade herself in her bedroom, and Brice was likely going to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"You look beautiful this evening, Charlotte," Chuck told her.

"Shall we go," Charlotte suggested as she motioned to grab her coat from a nearby Dorota as she blushed a deep shade of crimson. Chuck was quicker and took it himself and held it for her to slid into. She was used to getting compliments from her father on her appearance, but tonight felt different from any other night.

"Wait, before you go, I need pictures," Blair announced as she turned to find the camera she had stashed in the entryway earlier than afternoon.

"Mom," Charlotte groaned as she blushed further in embarrassment.

"Humor her, Sweetheart," Aiden chimed in as he continued to play his father as he got further in to the character.

"Fine," Charlotte groaned as she faced the camera.

Chuck put his arm around his daughter's waist softly and smiled. Charlotte didn't.

"You aren't leaving until I get a decent picture," Blair told her daughter as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Humor her, Sweetheart," Chuck whispered into his daughter's ear.

"Fine," Charlotte sighed as she forced a smile onto her face.

After pictures were taken, Chuck guided Charlotte towards the awaiting elevator. Charlotte fidgeting the entire way down.

"Does being seen in public with your father really annoy you that much?" Chuck inquired as he took his daughter's hand and kissed it lightly.

"Of course not," she smiled as she took another deep breath to calm her nerves, "I usually love our dinners out. This one feels different, and I'm just nervous. I've never been on a date before."

"I promise it's not as intimidating as you think it is," he told her as he rubbed her shoulder gently. She smiled at him warmly as the elevator doors chimed their arrival at the lobby.

Chuck was every bit the gentleman throughout the evening, opening every door, holding her chair for her, and helping her out of her coat.

"What do people talk about on dates?" Charlotte inquired as she perused the menu, not evening looking at the prices. Since he'd insisted on this, she would find the tasty items on the menu and enjoy them. If they happened to be the most expensive items on the menu, it was even better.

"What do you and your friends normally talk about?" Chuck inquired as he closed his menu, already knowing what he was going to order.

"Boys, hair care, shopping, how much our siblings and parents annoy us," she replied, smirking as she added the last part.

"Your parents annoy you, how so?" Chuck asked as he folded his hands together.

"Dad," she laughed.

"Charles," he corrected her with a straight face, even with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Why Charles?" she inquired, "To mom, you're Chuck."

"To your mother I'm many things, including Chuck. As I've told you many times, I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. I was lucky with your mother. She was very patient with me and able to see through my faults. You deserve a Charles, who is someone with no faults and treats all women, especially my daughter, like royalty," he explained.

"But that man doesn't really exist," she told him, "He's just a character that you're playing for the evening. Nobody is perfect."

"You're wise beyond your years, Sweetheart, but there are those that are more perfect than others," Chuck told her honestly, "Your mother deserved better than me, and so do you."

"Do you ever wish that she found better?" Charlotte inquired.

"I don't wish away my life, Charlotte," he told her as he took a sip of his club soda, "I'm very happy, happier than I could have ever dreamed. Your mother deserved better than me, but I'm glad she chose me. I just don't want you to choose someone with the same type of baggage that I have. Daughters look for men who remind them of their fathers, but Sweetheart, I pray to God you find someone better than me."

"You hurt Mom," Charlotte stated after their waiter came to take their order.

"Yes, I did," he nodded. His voice full of regret, more so than she'd ever heard from him before.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I was hurting," he replied. "It's really all I had ever known. It's all I ever really expected."

"What if I find someone like you, and I fall for him like Mom fell for you?" she thought out loud.

"He'd be a very lucky man if you were able to do for him what your mother did for me," he told her, "But there isn't always a happy ending to these tales. Your mother and I have the happily ever after, but that isn't always the case."

"You and Mom are happy," Charlotte stated.

"Very happy," he nodded as his face brightened as the words left his mouth.

"You know you're the exception to the rule," Charlotte replied, "There aren't many 'happy couples' in our world."

"I'm well aware," he nodded. He needed to look no further than to her godparents.

Serena was twice divorced and looking to take after her mother as a perpetual divorcee, though with no children. After several heart breaking miscarriages, she forced Dan Humphrey out of her life, and bounced from one bad relationship to the next.

Charlotte's godfather had done no better. Having never married, Nate moved from one failed relationship to the next, having no real clue what it took to make a lasting relationship.

Eventually Serena and Nate always would drift towards each other for a short period of time, but it never lasted, nor could it.

"If Mom had married Uncle Nate, she would have fallen into the trap of an unhappy relationship, wouldn't she," Charlotte frowned.

"There is no way for us to ever truly know the answer to that question," Chuck replied.

"You never would have married, would you," Charlotte continued on.

"No, I wouldn't have," he confirmed, "Nor would I have wanted to. Early on I knew I'd never settle for anyone less than your mother."

Charlotte was suddenly seeing her father in a completely different light. He'd always been honest with his children about his past, telling them about how badly he'd messed up his life and the ways in which he'd hurt their mother, but until now he'd never really answered any questions she had, nor had she felt comfortable asking.

He was her white knight. He could do no wrong in her eyes. She'd always seen him that way. It had been hard for her to reconcile what he once was with what he was to her, but at the end of the day she took her mother's lead when they'd first sat her down to tell the tale. Now nothing from his past mattered because of who he had become.

"I'm glad you didn't settle for less," Charlotte smiled.

"So am I," he smiled back.

* * *

"Mother tried pot!" Charlotte exclaimed in surprise as they took a walk in Central Park after dinner, arms linked together with Chuck's suit jacket around her shoulders. It had been too warm for her coat as they'd left the car, but it became chilly enough that his jacket was required the longer they walked. They decided to forgo the Broadway show and instead just continue on with their 'adult' conversation.

"Don't ever tell her I told you," Chuck cautioned her, "She'd cut off my favorite appendage if she knew that you knew."

"What was she like when she tried it?" Charlotte inquired.

"Incredibly unintelligent," Chuck answered. "She couldn't put a coherent sentence together to save her life. She resorted to giggling to get her point across. I only let her try it with me the one time. I honestly couldn't tell you if she did it more than that."

"Was it her idea or yours?" Charlotte asked.

"Hers," he responded simply, "She'd never have tried it if it was my idea. She always had to have her own opinions. She'd listen to no one else. She'd always been curious as to what the turn on was for Nathaniel and I. I'd say we were about three years into our relationship at that point. I hadn't done it in so long that it made me a little sick."

"Why did you stop in the first place?" Charlotte inquired.

"My life had changed," he shrugged, "I had your mother. I was running Bass. Smoking pot just wasn't a priority to me."

"Was there ever a time in which you thought that maybe you and Mom wouldn't have the happily ever after?" Charlotte inquired.

"There was a hiccup along the way," he admitted, "It was well before we were married. She was still in college. She had to move back to her mother's for a time to deal with something that happened to her. I thought it would become permanent, so I was just going to get on my jet and leave everything behind, including your mother."

"What stopped you?" she asked.

"She did," he replied simply, but Charlotte's expression told him that he needed to elaborate, "She kept pushing until she forced me to admit what I didn't want to . . . that I was scared, that loving her scared me, that losing her scared me, that I didn't know who I was without her scared me."

"But you stayed," Charlotte smiled.

"Yes," he responded simply.

"And you don't regret it," Charlotte added.

"Never for a moment," he continued on with her thought. "My relationship with your mother isn't easy, but you'll find out that nothing in life that is worth having is."

"But it looks so easy," she replied.

"It's not," Chuck replied, "Your mother and I have gone through many changes together. We did high school. She did college. I ran a Fortune 500 company. That pulled us in different directions. When she graduated, she went to work for your grandmother."

"Which was a really bad idea," Charlotte chimed in.

"On so many levels," Chuck laughed. "She started her own clothing line. Then we got engaged and married. We started a family. I gave up running Bass to be home with the three of you. She set aside her clothing line for a while to do the same. She decided after Aiden was born to go back to her clothing line. I stayed home to be with Aiden until he started school, then I went back to Bass. All of that sounds simple, but each change brought about changes in us, some small and easy to adapt to, some not so small and not so easy. We work at it.

"We argue, which I know you and your brothers hear, even though you pretend not to. We know that us arguing scares the three of you, but at the end of the day your mother and I have a relationship that is built on trust, loyalty, friendship and love. Having all four is very important. You can love someone so much that it consumes you; and you can be loyal to them to a fault, and you can be friends with through anything, but if that trust isn't there, those other three aspects of the relationship can only hold you together for so long."

"And you trust Mom," Charlotte assumed.

"As she trusts me. It's something I've always had in her. Her trust in me was something I had to earn."

"Do you ever regret leaving Bass to stay at home with us?" Charlotte inquired.

"Never once," he replied, "If I had stayed at Bass, I would have missed so much of your lives. Even now that I'm back at Bass, I feel I miss a lot. I'm there for your dance recitals and horse jumping competitions and the parent-teacher meetings, but I'm not as involved in your life as I used to be. Going back to work when Aiden was still so young, I don't feel as though my relationship with him is as close as it is with you and Brice, but I work at it."

"He doesn't see it that way," Charlotte assured him. "He adores you as we all do."

"That means more than you know," Chuck stated.

"What do we tell Mom about tonight?" Charlotte inquired as she realized that her curfew was rapidly approaching as they walked towards Arthur who was waiting patiently in the town car they were using that evening.

"That we had an excellent dinner and enjoyed the show," Chuck replied.

"And if she asks for details?" Charlotte inquired.

"I never told her which show I was taking you to," he smirked as he approached the car and opened the door for Charlotte, "Pick your favorite."

"West Side Story," she proclaimed cheerfully.

"You know that story inside and out. I'm sure you'll be able to be convincing. You are our offspring . . . And Charlotte, your mother and I know that you and Brice worked together to manipulate us into letting you go to the dance."

"How did you know?" Charlotte gasped in surprise.

"Next time you pick a girl to ask out Brice, make sure she's real," he smirked. He knew he shouldn't be giving her pointers on ways to pull the wool over their eyes, but he couldn't resist.

"What's our punishment?" she frowned.

"A month's allowance," he replied.

"And," she prompted him.

"Dinner with your dad for you," Chuck replied, "Brice gets to serve punch at your dance."

"Do I still get to go to the dance?" Charlotte asked as she bit her lip nervously.

"Yes," he nodded.

"How come I get off so easy?" Charlotte inquired.

"Because you're my favorite daughter," he grinned.

When they arrived back at the penthouse, Chuck had one more act to their evening he wanted to see through.

"Thank you, Charlotte, for a wonderful evening," Chuck told her as he bowed ever so slightly.

"This was a lot of fun," Charlotte admitted, "Maybe we can do it again some time . . . so you can continue to remind me of how I should be treated . . . in case I forget."

"I would be honored," he told her as she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek softly.

"Good night, Daddy," she responded happily as she skipped out of the entryway.

* * *

"How was your evening with dear old dad?" Brice inquired as he popped into Charlotte's room as she was removing her makeup.

"So much fun," Charlotte responded.

Brice studied his sister for a moment to see if she was being truthful. He knew she'd been dreading the evening since their father first insisted on it. He could read her better than anyone, so he was stunned to realize that she was being completely honest with him.

"He's a fun date," Charlotte insisted, "I mean, it was still Daddy, so it was kind of weird, but I guess I got to see him in a different light tonight. It's very easy to see why Mom married him."

"Great," Brice rolled his eyes, "Now Aiden and I will have to endure this sort of thing with our mother. You were supposed to have such a miserable and embarrassing evening. You were supposed to come home in tears, sobbing against Mom's shoulder."

"I'm sorry, Brice," Charlotte shrugged, "But it will do you and Aiden good to learn how to be charming on a date, especially if you end up like Daddy."

Brice shook his head as he turned to leave the room, muttering under his breath what Charlotte was sure were insults directed towards her, but she was in too good a mood to care.

"Did you need help unzipping your dress?" Blair inquired as she came into her daughter's room, passing by a muttering Brice in the hallway. Charlotte was already in her pajamas and about ready to crawl into bed. "I guess not."

"You were right about Daddy," Charlotte stated as Blair helped her pull down the covers, "He is a very good conversationalist."

"Did you have a good time?" Blair inquired as Charlotte climbed into bed.

"Yes," she nodded as she motioned for her mother to join her. "I didn't really feel like I was out with Daddy. I mean I did, but it didn't feel as weird as I thought it would."

"Do you feel like the princess that he sees you as?" Blair inquired as she wrapped a strand of her daughter's hair around her finger as her other arm came around her shoulders as Charlotte snuggled into her arms.

"Yes and no," Charlotte stated, "He did all those gentlemanly things like I know he wants me to focus on, but I actually feel he sees me as more of an adult than before."

"What did you talk about?" Blair inquired as she continued to busy herself with her daughter's curls. It wasn't until she became a mother that she truly understood her husband's fascination with playing with her own hair.

"You and him, mostly. We talked about your relationship and the mistakes that he made in it, about how he wishes that I don't repeat them," Charlotte stated.

"I made mistakes too, Sweetheart," Blair replied, "I know your father wants the three of you to just see his, but I'm not the innocent little dove that he makes me appear to be."

"I know," Charlotte nodded, "But it was an enlightening evening. I understand your relationship better."

"Then that's a good thing," Blair replied.

"Do you think you could have been happy if you married Uncle Nate instead of Daddy?" Charlotte inquired.

"There is no way to know for sure," Blair sighed, "My relationship with Uncle Nate was always complicated."

"Because of Serena?" Charlotte asked.

"She was part of it," Blair nodded, "But she wasn't the only reason the relationship didn't work. I saw Nate as part of my plan to have the perfect life. I was convinced that he would follow in his grandfather's footsteps and run for public office. I'd be the dutiful wife at his side, smiling and waving, and attending social and charitable functions, but looking at that life now, I never would have been happy in that role nor would have Nate been happy with his. He was never destined for political office."

"Because he's pretty to look at but not intellectually smart?" Charlotte hypothesized.

"Where did you ever hear that?" Blair laughed out.

"I don't know," Charlotte replied, "Daddy or maybe Serena."

"Your Uncle Nate is smart, but not in a conventional way," Blair replied, "And perhaps not smart enough for political office . . . but you're missing the point, Sweetheart. The point is being a congressman's wife would not have made me happy. I needed to be my own person and have my own interests. Your father understands that in a way I'm not so sure Nate ever would have."

"But maybe being a congressman's wife would make me happy," Charlotte stated.

"And if that does, then that is what I want you to do," Blair replied, "But if it doesn't, then I want you to find what does make you happy."

"Fashion makes you happy," Charlotte stated.

"It does," Blair nodded, "When I was your age and watching your grandmother do what she does, I didn't think it would, but the more I got into it the more I enjoyed it."

"I don't think fashion is for me," Charlotte announced.

"Which is perfectly okay," Blair assured her.

"I want to do what Daddy does," she added.

"Which surprises nobody," Blair laughed, "And if following in your father's footsteps is what you were meant to do, then you have one of the best mentors you could have and every opportunity open to you to make that dream come true."

"Do I have to go to college, or can I just jump right in like Daddy?" Charlotte inquired.

"I'm sure your father would like you to go to college," Blair responded, "As I know I would. There are so many things that your father missed by not pursuing a college degree."

"But he's so successful," Charlotte stated.

"Because he's a brilliant businessman," Blair nodded, "And I'm sure you'll be an equally brilliant businesswoman, but even your father will admit he missed out on a lot by not pursuing higher education."

"Did you and Daddy almost breakup while you were in college?" she asked.

"Did your father tell you about that?" Blair asked in surprise. When Charlotte nodded, she continued. The revelation came as a surprise to Blair. She and Chuck happily played into the fairytale aspect of their relationship to their children. "Yes, we did. We went through a rough period when I was in college. Something happened which your father thought he should have been able to prevent. I had to move out for a while to deal with it. Your father didn't see it as temporary, and he nearly left. I got to him just before his plane could take off, and we worked everything out. It was a wakeup call for both of us."

"Is Daddy your soul mate?" Charlotte inquired.

"I think so," Blair nodded, "He's certainly the ying to my yang. I was lucky with Daddy. We've always balanced each other out well. He always challenged me to be myself."

Charlotte began blushing as she searched for the proper words for her next question. "Were you ready to have sex when you did it with Daddy for the first time?"

"I thought so at the time," Blair nodded, "But looking back after the fact, I wasn't. It's a complicated act on its own, and without the emotions behind it, it becomes easy to cheapen. That's what I thought it was at first because of your father's previous reputation. I wrongly assumed that I was just another notch in his belt and that it didn't mean anything to him. It quickly became clear that I wasn't, but I didn't trust us together. If I could do everything all over again, I would have waited until I had further explored my feelings for your father."

"But you might not have ended up together then," Charlotte pouted.

"I think we would have," Blair smiled confidently, "Your father has said it many times, and I now agree with him. We've always been inevitable."

"Could Evan be that soul mate for me?" Charlotte asked.

"He could be," Blair nodded, 'But he might not be. Only you will know for sure."

"I don't think he is," Charlotte stated, "I think he's more of a Nate for me, a safe starting point."

"That's a good way to put my relationship with Nate," Blair stated before she nervously asked, "Do you see a soul mate in your life?"

"No," Charlotte shook her head, "But that doesn't me he isn't there, does it?"

"No," Blair confirmed, "He could be there. Daddy was for me before I saw him as my soul mate. You only have to be open to the possibility to find it."

"And if I don't?"

"That doesn't mean you can't be happy," Blair replied.

"I hope I find my soul mate," Charlotte stated as her exhaustion finally caught up with her as she gave a healthy yawn.

"I hope you do too," Blair replied as she rose up from the bed so she could tuck her daughter in, "Because I hope you have what I have with your father, a life full of fulfillment and happiness."

"Night, Mom," Charlotte mumbled as her eyes closed.

"Good night, Sweetheart," Blair responded as she brushed her daughter's hair off her face and kissed her cheek softly, "I love you."

"Love you too," Charlotte mumbled as she burrowed further into her bed as she drifted off.

* * *

Chuck was waiting outside Charlotte's room for Blair to immerge. Blair immediately stepped into his arms as she kissed him passionately.

"What is that for?" Chuck inquired as he pulled away to gather his bearings.

"For giving me with a life of fulfillment and happiness," she smiled as she traced her finger along his lips.

"You're very welcome," he chuckled softly.

"You made a good impression on your daughter," Blair informed him, "She sees herself as more of an adult now."

"That wasn't exactly my intent with this evening, but it she's going to start dating she going to have to start dealing with more adult emotions," he sighed. The sudden panic set in as one particular adult emotion flooded his mind.

"Relax, Bass," Blair chuckled as she read his mind, "Charlotte is a ways away from being ready for sex."

"Are you absolutely certain about that?" Chuck asked as his eyes searched his wife's.

"I'm fairly certain," Blair nodded.

"You'd better be right," Chuck groaned as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Because I'm not ready."

"You don't get a vote in this," Blair informed him, "When she's ready, she'll be ready, and you won't be able to go into 'Overzealous Dad' mode and threaten to murder whoever it is."

"Then do me a favor and never tell me when it happens," Chuck replied.

"Remember that you said that," Blair informed him, "Because you will get mad at me when you eventually find out I withheld that from you."

"I'll sign a contract if you need me to," he grinned fleetingly.

"I might just have you do that," Blair smiled softly, "Because I know you, Bass."

"I know you, Bass," he smiled along with her.

**TBC. . . **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**The reviews were a little light for the last chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this story.**

"Are you nervous?" Blair inquired as she helped her daughter prepare for her first official date, who was due to arrive in any minute. She knew Chuck was pacing in the entryway, muttering under his breath about how bad this evening could possibly turn out. He had managed to convince himself that this one night would ruin his daughter forever. The only reason that Charlotte's date had not been cancelled was because Blair had refused to let him.

"No," Charlotte shook her head. Her eyes were telling her mother she was speaking the truth, which surprised Blair. She had been more nervous for her date with her father than she was at the moment.

"I was a nervous wreck when Uncle Nate took me out for my first official date," Blair replied. "I knew that I was going fall out of my heels or spill on my designer dress or get spinach stuck in my teeth."

"Did any of that happen?" Charlotte asked.

"No," Blair shook her head, "But I did accidentally let a door hit Nate when he made me open it myself."

"Then he deserved it," Charlotte proclaimed, "Anyone worth dating would open the door for you."

"Charlotte, I know you have your father's evening as a benchmark, but I hope you don't get too disappointed if this evening doesn't live up to that," Blair stated, "It's very likely that this boy will be nervous, so be gentle with him."

"I know it won't be anything like my night with Daddy," Charlotte conceded, "Evan isn't the man that Daddy is."

"Something is different," Blair stated as she studied her daughter, "When you came into my office a few weeks ago, you were over the moon about this boy, and now you're not. Is everything alright?"

"He's a nice boy," Charlotte sighed, "But that electricity that we had then isn't there now. I think the excitement of it all is gone."

"Because of your date with your father?" Blair inquired.

"No," she shook her head. "Well maybe, but not because of anything he did. I just feel different now than I did before . . . in a good way."

"If you're worried that your father might disapprove of this boy, you don't have to worry," Blair replied. She knew her husband's approval meant a lot to her daughter. "Your father had him checked out, and while he'll never really approve of anybody you date, he's still agreeing to let you go."

"Reluctantly, I'm sure," Charlotte chuckled.

"Always," Blair smiled, "No matter how old you get, you will still be that little princess that used to beg him relentlessly for a penguin of your very own."

"It's probably the only thing I asked for that he never gave me," Charlotte smiled.

"He'd probably give it to you now if you agreed to not go on this date," Blair chuckled lightly, "He has convinced himself that this is the start of so much trouble."

"Daddy trusts me, doesn't he," Charlotte frowned.

"He does," Blair assured him, "But he'll never trust the boys you date. He remembers what he was like at your age, and he has convinced himself that you'll fall for someone like himself."

"But he's an amazing man," Charlotte replied.

"But he wasn't that amazing man at your age, remember," Blair stated, "I know you know all about his past. We talk about it enough that I'm sure you have begun tuning us out, but please keep your father's antics in mind tonight and all future nights. There are certain tricks young boys can play on you at this age that can make you do things that you are not ready to do."

"Mom, I promise that nothing will happen tonight that you and Daddy are not ready for," Charlotte smiled.

"It's not about your father and I being ready for it. It's about you being ready for it. Sex is a big step at any age. As much as I hate thinking it, I'd be willing to bet that one or more of your friends has already taken that step," Blair cringed at the thought.

Charlotte nodded in confirmation, but didn't give Blair any further details as to which friend or friends she was referencing.

"And while they may have planted the seed in your head, I don't want you to feel as though you have to take that next step too," Blair continued on.

"I don't," Charlotte replied. "I'm not ready for sex, and I won't let anyone talk into before I am, certainly not my friends or some boy."

"I marvel at how self assured you are," Blair sighed as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair to separate out the curls. "I wish I'd had your confidence at that age."

"You and Daddy have helped give me this self-confidence. I know that no matter what, you will always love and support me," Charlotte replied, "That means a lot to me."

"You are growing up too fast," Blair smiled as she hugged daughter around the shoulders. "I'm going to let you finish getting dressed. I had best check on your brother. He thinks that if he dawdles enough that your father and I will somehow forget that he is on punch duty tonight."

"I hope you realize that the girls in my class are going to fawn all over him like my friends usually do," Charlotte pointed out.

"That could work to your advantage," Blair smiled, "It will give your father something else to focus on besides your date, and Charlotte, if your date wants to keep his hands, I'd be sure to keep them in respectable locations."

"Not to worry," Charlotte couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Have a wonderful night, Sweetheart," Blair stated as she kissed the top of her daughter's head before disappearing.

"Go . . . Good evening, Mi. . . Mister Bass," Charlotte's date stuttered out as he arrived at the Bass penthouse. "Is Char . . . Charlotte ready for the dance?"

Chuck groaned in annoyance as he sent Dorota to check in on Charlotte. Chuck continued to stare down the young man though he didn't speak one word. He could see how nervous he made the boy by the sweat pouring off the young man's brow. Had he not be so annoyed by his presence, he might have smiled with glee.

"You must be Evan," Blair stated as she made her entrance having put the finishing touches on her makeup.

"Ye. . . Yes, Ma'am," he nodded as Blair extended her hand to him.

"Charlotte is almost ready," Blair assured him.

"Thank you," Evan nodded as he shifted nervously from one foot to the other.

"You look beautiful," Chuck whispered into her ear as she kissed his cheek softly and whispered a warning to behave for Charlotte's sake.

"Thank you," she smiled as she reached out to straighten his tie, "You look pretty handsome yourself."

"Evan, I'm told that you live with your brother," Chuck decided to ease his daughter's date's nerves ever so slightly as he looked a little too green. Charlotte didn't deserve to wear her date's dinner on her dress to the dance.

"Yes, sir," Evan confirmed.

"And he's married to Henry Brandt's daughter, correct?" Blair prompted him.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, "For three years."

Blair nodded. They'd been invited to the wedding due to the high societal image the Brandt family kept, but chose not to attend for fear they'd cross paths with their former nemesis.

"Hi, Evan," Charlotte announced her presence as she floated into the room.

"Hi, Charlotte," Evan blushed as he extended the bouquet of white lilies he'd held in his hand. "These are for you."

"Thank you," Charlotte smiled as she accepted the flowers. Dorota fluttered into the room on cue and offered to put the flowers into water.

Brice strolled in casually as he fiddled with his tie. Blair stepped towards him and helped him straighten it as Chuck continued to stare down Charlotte's date.

"We should get going," Charlotte announced as she tried to break the tension in the room.

"After a couple of pictures," Blair announced.

"Mom," Charlotte groaned.

"Humor me, Sweetheart," Blair laughed.

"My sister-in-law would like copies, if you don't mind," Evan was able to get out without too much trouble.

"Certainly," Blair smiled as she began arranging the pair for the picture, taking extra time with Charlotte's hair.

"Mom," Charlotte gritted through her teeth as her patience was wearing out.

"Okay, okay," Blair replied as she stepped back with her camera posed at the ready. "Big smiles."

Evan dutifully smiled; Charlotte didn't do anything more than blush crimson in embarrassment. Blair didn't want to embarrass her daughter any further, so she waited patiently for her daughter to collect herself. Her patience was rewarded when finally Charlotte smiled.

"Okay, now we can go," Charlotte announced before the flash had a moment to die out as she turned to find her coat.

"Just a couple more," Blair countered as she looked at the output screen to see that her first attempt had been blury.

Charlotte let out a low groan.

"Three more, I promise," Blair vowed.

"Blair, you'd better speed this up," Chuck whispered in his wife's ear, "Charlotte is three pictures away from throttling you."

"I'll make this quick," Blair replied as she waited patiently for Charlotte and her date to smile again. Charlotte dutifully smiled which allowed Blair to begin shooting in rapid fire. She'd exceeded the three picture limit she'd set. Finally having enough, Charlotte turned and snatched her jacket as her mother continued to take pictures of every further movement until Charlotte and Evan stepped on the elevator.

"I saw that playing differently in my mind," Chuck laughed as he pried the camera out of his wife's fingers, "I always thought that you'd be the calm and collected one, and I'd be the borderline narcotic one when Charlotte left for her first date." He inspected the camera for a moment to see that she'd taken no less than fifty pictures in less than two minutes.

"I'd better dumb these pictures off this memory card, so I'll have enough space for the dance," Blair stated as she reclaimed the camera and disappeared into his office.

"Blair, there is a line of sanity that I think you've just crossed," Chuck laughed as he followed after her, "We should leave the camera home, or we leave you at home."

"What is so wrong about wanting to capture our daughter's first date for posterity?" Blair inquired.

"Put yourself in Charlotte's place for a moment, Beautiful," Chuck told her as he leaned across the desk and snatched the camera from her. "You would have been mortified if your parents had pulled what you just did."

"My parents weren't even home when I had my first date," Blair rolled her eyes as she tried to snatch the camera back.

"And if Dorota had done what you had?" he theorized.

"She would have been promptly dismissed," Blair sighed. "Fine, we leave the camera home."

"Perhaps we could put it to good use later," he winked at her, "There are a few things that I'd like to capture for posterity."

"I think that tape we locked up in your safe is sufficient enough," Blair grinned as she rose from the chair and came around the desk to step in between his legs when he turned to wrap his arms around her waist. "Remind me again how you talked me into making that."

"I happen to be very charming," he reminded her.

"You have your moments," she agreed as his hands grabbed her derriere and gave it a healthy squeeze. "But this isn't one of them. We need to be leaving for the dance, or all those hormonal teenagers will start to get some wrong ideas."

"Until Charlotte became one of those hormonal teenagers, I could have cared less, but we'd better go," he sighed, "We'll pick this up where we left off when we get home and have our little princess tucked safely in to bed."

"Agreed," she nodded as she gave herself a moment of pleasure as she leaned in to kiss him.

**TBC. . . **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Events like these used to cause so much drama," Blair sighed as she danced in her husband's arms as pimply faced teenagers danced around them. There were girls littered across the ballroom, crying on the shoulders of their supposed best friends while their 'dates' danced with other girls. The sight brought a little chuckle to Blair despite how inappropriate it was.

Though they were supposed to be watching the entire crowd to ensure the adolescents behaved in a proper manner, Blair knew her husband's eyes were focused solely on their daughter dancing only a few yards away.

"Feeling nostalgic?" he teased.

"Heaven's no," she scoffed, "Nothing good happened during these things."

"I know what you mean," he nodded as his eyes showed a brief moment of sadness as he thought about how he'd learned about his father's accident at a dance such as this.

Blair's gentle caress at the nape of his neck brought him back to the present. Her gentle smile brought him out of the funk that he could easily fall into when memories of the night he lost his father returned.

"Hopefully, when Charlotte looks back on this in twenty years it will be more memorable," Blair smiled.

"Hopefully not too memorable," Chuck gulped nervously.

"Relax," Blair urged him she spun him around so he'd focus on her for a few minutes, "You're taking the overprotective father thing to an entirely new level that I didn't believe was possible. I was stunned when you allowed Charlotte and her date to get into the town car. I half expected you to insist they ride with us in the limo."

"You should have suggested that sooner," his eyes went wide with intrigue. He wished he'd thought of that.

"Because you would have latched onto it," Blair replied, "Charlotte is a well behaved, young lady. More importantly, she's her own person and makes her own decisions. She's not going to be forced to do something that she is not ready to do, and she'd not ready for what you're most worried about."

"How do you know that?" he demanded as he spun them back around so that he could continue to watch his daughter like a hawk.

"Because she's told me," Blair stated, "I promise that I talk to her about this on a regular basis."

He spotted Charlotte's date slowly lower his hand down her back. His intent was fairly obvious. Just before Chuck could pounce on them, Charlotte lifted her date's hand and then slapped his shoulder as she appeared to be giving him a good tongue-lashing.

"She can take care of herself," Blair assured her husband, "I'd be more worried about our son."

Chuck's gaze turned towards the punch table where a smattering of giggly teenage girls had gathered as Brice held court.

"Chip off the old block, I think," Blair shook her head in amusement, "Are you having those same conversations with him that I'm having with Charlotte?"

"He's only thirteen," Chuck rolled his eyes.

"You were thirteen," Blair reminded him.

"Good point," Chuck conceded, "I'll be sure to talk to him."

"And go break that up," Blair waved towards the giggling girls that were surrounding their son. "There are dozens of boys their own age around to dance with."

"Yes, dear," he chuckled as he kissed her cheek before strolling casually over to the punch table. The girls scattered like roaches as he reached for a glass of punch, testing it to ensure nobody had spiked it as he remembered doing. Brice seemed relieved by his father's presence.

"How much longer are you going to make me stay?" Brice groaned as the girls began to creep in closer to him even with his father nearby.

"Until the end of the dance," Chuck told him, "You should know better than to team up with your sister to pull the wool over our eyes."

"Those girls won't leave me alone," Brice rolled his eyes.

"You have your father's natural charm," Chuck told him, "It's both a gift and a curse."

"How do I get them to go away?" Brice inquired, his eyes pleading with his father. "The other boys are starting to glare at me for occupying these girls' time. I might get the crap beat out of me later."

"Don't worry so much about that," Chuck laughed, "We Basses know how to talk our way out of a beating. I'd be more worried about your mother. She's not too appreciative of these girls hanging on your every word."

"All I did was ask them if they were enjoying the dance and the punch?" Brice stated defensively.

"Which is probably more than their dates have spoken to them all evening," Chuck laughed.

"Can I take a break, at least?" Brice inquired.

"I'll give you five minutes," Chuck nodded as he took his son's place behind the punch bowl.

Brice couldn't get out of the ballroom quick enough. He'd never seen his son move so fast.

"If it isn't my favorite nemesis, Chuckie," a familiar voice slurred from a short distance away.

Chuck's eyes went wide as he recognized the voice. His face went ghostly white. This couldn't be happening.

"Georgina Sparks," Chuck groaned.

"Long time, no see," she smiled as she tossed her arms around his neck in a hug, "I've really missed you."

"I certainly can't say the same thing about you," Chuck replied as he untangled himself quickly, "What are you doing here?"

"My son is on his first date. Of course I'd want to see that," Georgina replied as she pointed towards her son who was still dancing with Charlotte, though he was on the verge of tears. It was quite clear that he was as happy to see his mother as Chuck and Blair. Georgina started waving like a crazy person to get her son's attention.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that you were never to return to Manhattan," Chuck responded.

"What are you going to do to me now?" Georgina cackled with laughter. "My oldest doesn't want anything to do with me, nor did he have the decency to let me know that his little brother was on his first date with the daughter of my first love."

"I don't recall love having anything to do with what you and I did that unfortunate afternoon," Chuck replied.

"But I did love you, Chuckie," Georgina replied, her eyes showing mock hurt at his response.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Blair hissed as she joined the pair.

"Hey, Roomie!" Georgina exclaimed as she threw her arms around Blair.

"Whatever medication you're on, you need to double it," Blair replied as she fought Georgina off.

"Just think, you and I might be in-laws if my son marries your daughter," Georgina replied.

"Georgina, how much have you had to drink?" Chuck inquired as Blair recoiled at the smell of Georgina's breath.

"I don't know," Georgina replied as she turned towards the dance floor again to get her son's attention. "Evan, come over here and see your mommy."

"Georgina, do not make a scene," Blair hissed.

"I just want to see my son in his cute little tuxedo," Georgina replied as she continued to wave the boy towards her.

"Is that your mom?" Charlotte whispered in Evan's ear as she took in Georgina's haggard appearance. Her hair was in disarray. Her clothes were wrinkled, ripped and mismatched. Her makeup was streaked and smeared. She wobbled to and fro as if she was unsteady on her own bare feet.

"Unfortunately," Evan nodded.

"I've heard stories, but . . ." Charlotte's voice trailed off. She didn't even know how to finish the sentence.

"Evan!" Georgina shouted.

"I'd better go to her," Evan responded regretfully as he looked around the ballroom to see everyone else's eyes boring in on him.

"I'll go with you," Charlotte responded.

"Stay behind me," he told her, his eyes gentle yet concerned. She nodded as she entwined her hand with his.

"Isn't that cute! They are holding hands!" Georgina shouted so everyone could hear. "Aren't they just the most adorable pair you've ever seen?"

"What are you doing here?" Evan growled as he stood before his mother. The embarrassment level rising with each word she spoke. "Fredrick told you to stay away from us."

"Your brother doesn't get to make decisions regarding when I see you," Georgina scoffed.

"You're right, he doesn't," Evan spoke calmly. "The courts do that for him. You have no business being here. I thought you were in rehab."

"I'm better," Georgina responded. "I'm all better."

"If I lit a match, your breath would ignite," Evan responded sharply, "That's not better."

"I just had a sip," she told him, "I was upset that you didn't tell me about your first date is all. I promise I'm better, and I came to take you home with me so that we can be a real family again."

"We've never been a real family. Fred has given me what you never have," Evan told her, "And I'm certainly not going anywhere with you. I'm just an accident to you, an obligation."

"You are not an accident. You are my little boy, my beautiful little boy," Georgina insisted.

"Stay away from me," Evan demanded as she reached towards him, intent on pulling him into a hug. "I've done just fine without you interfering in my life for fifteen years. I'll continue to do it without you." He turned abruptly and walked away. Charlotte turned quickly and followed him.

"Evan, don't walk away from me," Georgina commanded him as she stepped forward to follow him. "I'm your mother!"

Chuck stepped in front of the crazed woman to head her off. Georgina began struggling against him, trying desperately to untangle herself so she could go after her son, but Chuck was so much stronger and sober. She didn't stand a chance.

He managed to wrangle Georgina out of the ballroom and into a cab. He cared none for her final destination as long as she was out of his sight. He merely handed the driver a wad of cash and told him to drive out of the city as fast as possible. Georgina was pleading with Chuck for his help. "You used up any favors you may have had well over a decade ago."

At Blair's urging, Charlotte took Evan into a quiet room so that he could calm down away from prying eyes as he was nearly shaking with rage after the confrontation with his mother.

"Are you okay, Evan?" Charlotte asked timidly once they were alone.

"She always does this," he hissed as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "She always manages to find the worse possible moment in our lives to ruin. First she stormed in on Fred's wedding day and ending up bathing in cake. Now she's managed to ruin what so far was the best night of my life. I'm so sorry, Charlee. I ruined our night."

"You didn't ruin anything," she tried to assure him, "It was just a few minutes of chaos in an otherwise wonderful evening."

"Everyone will be talking about this for months. I'm always going to be the boy with the crazy, alcoholic mom that ruined the dance."

"First off, half of our classmates have crazy, alcoholic mothers," Charlotte told him gently, "And your mother has only ruined this dance if you let her. If you return to the ballroom with your head held high, everyone will envy how well you handled yourself."

"Everyone will be whispering and talking behind my back," he told her.

"Who cares?" Charlotte scoffed.

"That's easy for you to say. You're Charlotte Bass. Your parents are perfect." He snapped.

"My parents are far from perfect," Charlotte chuckled, "I could tell you stories that would set your hair on fire."

"But everyone looks at you with such awe and envy," he clarified. "You have the perfect life. Your parents are powerful and influential, and they actually seem to care about you and your well-being. You walk around school like you're untouchable."

"Because I don't let the gossips bother me. I know people say bad things about me, but when I look at myself in the mirror every day, I like what I see," Charlotte stated confidently. "All the lies and gossip do not have any power over me because I don't let it.

"That's easier said than done," Evan replied.

"I know," she conceded, "And yes it probably does have something to do with my parents and how they've raised me. They had crappy childhoods, so they set out to give me and my brothers the complete opposite. Was their childhood any crappier than any other parent who grew up in the Upper East Side, possibly not, but they set out to do something to change their children's childhood.

"I'm lucky. I know I'm lucky. My parents involve themselves in my life. They cared who I associate with. My father ran a background check on you. He's run background checks on anyone that I find myself spending time with. Is it annoying and embarrassing, yes, but they care. My mom took me shopping for my dress this evening when she could have easily given me a credit card and told me to buy whatever I want. She helped me get dressed tonight and calmed any fears that I might have had about my first date."

"I can't face our classmates," he told her as tears welled in his eyes.

"Yes, you can," she told him, "I'll be right by your side. If they talk about you, they'll have to talk about me."

"Why would you risk your reputation for me?" he asked.

"Because I like you," she replied.

"That's it?" he pressed.

"What other reason do I need?" Charlotte inquired as she held out her hand to him expectantly. He was hesitant, and he looked as though he wasn't going to join her, but her gentle smile coaxed his hand into hers as she led him back towards the ballroom. The connection she'd once thought had dissipated returned in full force. Just as they were about to enter the room she whispered, "Head high."

There were whispers and people pointing and laughing when they returned, but Charlotte wouldn't let Evan sulk nor run away.

"I think we have a problem," Chuck sighed as Charlotte put her head on Evan's shoulder just as he returned to Blair's side.

"Georgina?" Blair inquired.

"Charlotte and Evan," he nodded towards the young pair. "She seemed disinterested twenty minutes ago, now she's giving him that same look you used to give me."

"The lustful stare?" Blair inquired.

"The 'I will save you from yourself' look," he frowned. "I knew this date was a bad idea."

"Relax," Blair replied. "There is nothing we can do at the moment without embarrassing her. I'll talk to her when we get back to the penthouse.

"How did Georgina sneak through your net?"

"I have no idea," he shook his head, "Every now and then she has popped up on my people's radar, but they've been able to chase her away. Believe me, I will be getting to the bottom of all of this."

"Be careful," she cautioned him, "Charlotte is involved now. I will not have you sacrificing your daughter's happiness."

"You were the one that was okay with her dating this boy," Chuck groaned, "If I had my way, she would have been safely tucked into her room tonight . . ."

". . . Crying her eyes out because her ridiculously overprotective father kept her from growing up," Blair interrupted him. "Do you trust your daughter's judgment?"

"What does that have to do with any of this?" he shook his head in confusion.

"Either you trust your daughter's judgment in boys, or you keep her under lock and key and make her miserable," Blair elaborated.

"There has to be a third option," Chuck replied. "Perhaps I should pick the boys for her." He began looking around at the options. His eyes settled on several wallflowers that appeared to be safe options.

"Don't even think about it," Blair scolded him just moments before he opened his mouth to make a comment. "You are not choosing Charlotte's dates."

Chuck merely frowned in response as a chorus of giggles broke out. "Brice," he groaned as he turned towards the punchbowl table again to see the same gaggle of girls surrounding their son.

"You want to worry about anyone, it should be Brice," Blair replied. "There are a few juniors mixed into that group."

Chuck was muttering under his breath as he went to break up the gathering.

"Alright, Brice, your duty is done," Chuck responded as he gently nudged his son towards the ballroom door. "Get Arthur to take you home and then send him immediately back here. It's about time for this ball to breakup."

"Thank you," Brice responded gratefully as he scrambled out of the ballroom. Chuck could see the wheels spinning in the minds of the young girls as they tried to decide if they should follow him. Thankfully, they all appeared to stay put.

"Daddy, Evan and I are leaving," Charlotte announced after a few more dances as she approached her parents with her fingers intertwined with Evan's. Blair had to bit her lip to keep from laughing as she heard her husband's groan of concern.

"You'll have to wait a few minutes, Sweetheart," Chuck told her as he looked at his watch. Even in perfect traffic, Arthur would be another twenty minutes. "I gave the car to Brice a few minutes ago."

"We'll take a cab then," Charlotte shrugged, "We've been dancing all night. We're tired."

"Charlotte, why don't you take the limo?" Blair suggested before she had a moment to think the statement through, "Arthur should be back by the time we need to leave."

"Blair," Chuck began before Blair silenced him with a stern look.

"Take the limo, Charlotte," Blair repeated, "But go straight home. No side trips. You know your father with be checking in with fleet manager."

"Of course," Charlotte nodded.

"And keep the glass partition down," Chuck added as Charlotte turned away as Chuck pulled out his phone to alert their driver for the evening.

Charlotte nodded once more as the sea of students swallowed her and her date.

"I cannot believe you actually suggested that," Chuck hissed as he waited impatiently for the driver to answer his phone. The vain in his neck was throbbing and his face was flush with anger. "Did you take leave of your senses?"

"Relax," Blair rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

The driver answered and Chuck quickly barked his orders. When that phone call was completed, Chuck dialed another number.

"Who are you calling now?" Blair asked.

"Brice," Chuck replied, "I want him outside our building waiting for Charlotte when she gets home."

"No," Blair replied as she snatched the phone out of his hands. "You've done enough."

Chuck immediately reached for the device, but Blair was quick to react as she dropped the phone down her dress.

"Do you honestly think that is going to stop me?" Chuck growled.

"In front of a room full of horny teenagers," Blair eyed him skeptically.

"Damn it, Blair, give me back my phone," Chuck commanded.

"I will when we leave," Blair stated calmly. "After we're safely in the town car, I'll let you reach for it, not a moment sooner."

"Is that your attempt to distract me for the fact that my daughter is riding home in a limo with a boy?" Chuck scowled at her.

"Depends on if it's working," she smiled coyly.

**TBC. . . **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Thank you, thank you to those of you that took a moment to review. I am glad to hear that you all are enjoying this.**

As soon as Blair and Chuck arrived home from the dance, Chuck sent Blair to check on Charlotte without allowing her a moment to change out of her dress.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Blair smiled as she walked into her daughter's room to see her daughter curled up in her bed with her favorite book.

"Hi, Mom," Charlotte sighed as she put the book down, "I figured you'd be in to check on me. I waited up for you."

"Did you have a good time at the dance, aside from Georgina's little episode?" Blair inquired as she sat down at the foot of the bed, rubbing her daughter's legs through the bedspread.

"I thought those stories you used to tell about her were fiction or at least exaggerated," Charlotte sighed, "She's horrible. Absolutely dreadful. I understand now why Evan never talks about her."

"There is a good reason as to why your father has worked extra hard to keep her out of our lives," Blair smiled. "She was the same train wreck in high school and for the few torturous weeks that she was my college roommate."

"Your life seems like it was so full of drama," Charlotte observed. "Mine seems tame in comparison."

"You're still young," Blair replied, "You have time. Looking back on it, I can say that my life was pretty tame until I was about your age."

"You can reassure Daddy that Evan was the perfect gentleman on the ride home from the ball," Charlotte replied. "He didn't even try kissing me at the end of the night."

"You sound disappointed," Blair replied as she observed her daughter's frown. "I thought there wasn't that spark anymore."

"I guess things changed," Charlotte replied.

"When did things change, before or after Evan's mother showed up," Blair inquired as she studied her daughter's expression. She recognized that look. She was seeing something in her daughter she once recognized in herself.

"After," Charlotte admitted begrudgingly.

"You're hoping that you can save Evan from his mother's neglect like I saved your father from his father's," Blair concluded.

"I don't know if that's it," Charlotte shook her head. "At least that's not entirely it. I thought he was safe like Uncle Nate was for you, but the way he reacted to his mother's appearance made me see him differently."

"He won't want your pity, Sweetheart," Blair cautioned her, "Your father certainly didn't want mine."

"It's not pity," Charlotte replied, "Intrigue, maybe. His life is so much different than mine. He looks at me and sees this perfect life that I have. I look at him and see this childhood in which he doesn't know his father and would rather not know his mother. I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like to him."

"Has he mentioned his father to you?" Blair inquired curiously. She knew that his brother's birth certificate had been left blank. She was curious if Evan's was the same.

"He knows who he is," Charlotte replied, "But he'd never met him, nor does it sound as if it's ever going to be an option."

"Who is his father?" Blair pressed.

"He has told me," Charlotte frowned. "But I'm sure Daddy knows."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do because I remember what it was like when I was your age, but I do want you to be careful. In my experience, men with turbulent childhoods tend to have rocky relationships. I was hurt multiple times by your father. I shed more tears than I'm sure your grandmother thought your father was worth," Blair told her. "I cannot say this enough, Charlotte, proceed with caution and protect your heart."

"Okay," Charlotte nodded.

"Don't stay up too late reading," Blair warned her as she kissed her forehead. Charlotte nodded as she opened her book again to pick up where she left off. "And Charlotte, I know you said Evan didn't try to kiss you. Did you try to kiss him?"

"On the cheek as he walked me to the building," she smiled.

"That will be our little secret," Blair replied. "You tipped the doorman well to keep that bit of trivia from your father, I hope."

"Of course," Charlotte rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So, let's hear the report," Blair replied as she found Chuck in their bedroom struggling to remove his cufflinks. She knew he'd been busy with his investigations since she'd left his side to check on their daughter from the lack of clothing that was removed. All he'd managed to remove was his suit jacket and loosen his tie.

"Complete gentleman from what I can tell," Chuck grumbled.

"That's a good thing, isn't it," Blair chuckled at his disappointment.

"If he'd tried something, I'd be justified in ending his existence," he continued to grumble as Blair approached him, offering her assistance in removing the links.

"Don't do it, Bass," Blair warned him with a gentle smile, "Charlotte would never forgive you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he growled, "She's smitten, isn't she."

"Yes," Blair sighed.

"I never should have let her grow up," he replied, "We should have kept her as that tiny little four year old who skipped around the house, sang off key, and looked at only me with stars in her eyes."

Blair merely shook her head as she continued to undress him, moving on to the buttons of his dress shirt after handing him the cufflinks to hold onto. "What do you know about Evan?"

"Aside from being the spawn of Satan?" he inquired.

She nodded. "What do you know about his father?"

"High society," Chuck responded, "Georgina had a brief fling with one of her parents' best friends and ended up pregnant. Not wanting to risk his marriage, he disowned his son and has never acknowledged the rumor that Evan is his."

"Do we know him?" she pressed.

"We do," he nodded, though he wouldn't give up the name unless she asked directly. "Not well. He travels more in Lily's circle than ours."

"And Evan lives with his brother," Blair added.

"Fred is a straight shooter. He married well and shrugged off his mother's influence. He's a Wall Street boy, always wheeling and dealing, but still a stand up guy. Not many would take on the responsibly of raising their younger brother, but as soon as he was able to support Evan financially, he snatched Evan out of Georgina's family home," Chuck explained.

"And Evan, what's his background?" Blair inquired.

"Honors student, bit of a loner," Chuck began, "Excellent polo player. He and Charlotte's horses are boarded at the same stable. It's most likely where they began their bond because according to my sources, he doesn't converse with many at school. He's a bit of an outsider, though his best friend keeps him in Charlotte's circle."

"And his best friend?" Blair inquired.

"You'll find this a bit ironic," Chuck replied, "Maureen and Tripp Vanderbilt's son, Magnus."

"Billy's older brother," Blair concluded as she referenced Brice's best friend as Chuck nodded in confirmation.

"Emotionally unstable mother, absent father, loner, all we need is an affinity for scotch and a developing drug habit and you have me," Chuck replied.

"Charlotte doesn't know the boy that you were," Blair reminded him, "She only knows what we've told her. What she sees is the amazing man that you've become, and that I rescued you from what you could have been. What she doesn't know is that I didn't so much save you, as simply be at your side as you saved yourself."

"You saved me," he corrected her, "You saved be because you were at my side. You saved me because without you I wouldn't have wanted to save myself."

"You give yourself far too little credit," she shook her head.

"As do you," he responded, "The best that I am, is you . . . all you."

"Us," she corrected him. "Now answer this question for me. What are we going to about our nemesis? If experience has taught us anything, tonight won't be the last night we hear from her."

"We need to first figure out what her agenda is," he sighed, "I think there is more to her arrival than mere coincidence. Somehow she knew her son was on his first date with our daughter."

"Where is she now?" Blair inquired.

"Somewhere outside of the city," Chuck replied, "I gave the cab driver enough money to get her to Mexico, and I've got my best P.I. on the case. We'll know every move she makes."

"She makes me nervous," Blair confessed, "I can handle her coming after me or you, but Charlotte is involved now. Her safety and happiness are the most important things. If Georgina threatens that, you will be seeing an entirely new side of me."

"Mama Bear will have nothing on you when it comes to protecting your cubs," he nodded.

"Those children are our entire world. I will not allow anyone to threaten them," Blair replied.

"I feel the same way," Chuck told her, "I promise you that Georgina will cause no harm to our children."

"I know," she smiled, "Papa Bear is just as protected as Mama Bear."

* * *

"You're up awfully early, Bass," Blair stated as she found him in his office reading through mounds of paperwork. She pulled his chair away from his desk so she could implant herself in his lap. "Must be important for you not to wake me for our Sunday morning ritual."

"I'm reviewing the dossier that my investigators have collected on Georgina over the years to see if I can get into her head a little to figure out what might be her agenda," Chuck replied.

"Be careful, Bass, I don't want you getting stuck in her mindset," she cautioned him. "That is the most dangerous mind to get lost in."

"Not to worry," he chuckled, "Not with you coming in here to pull me out of it."

"Have you found anything useful yet?" she inquired as her eyes glanced towards the mounds of paper littered across his desk.

"She's found a consistent cycle. She'll party her way across Europe, drink everything in her path, snort as much as she can, come home when some lover's wife chases her away, try to reconnect with her sons only to be forced into rehab by the courts first. She'll get out, proclaim to be all better and then find some inconvenient way to ruin their lives yet again," he replied.

"Sounds like the Georgina we knew in high school," Blair replied. "What are we going to do about her?"

"I'm not entirely sure," he sighed, "We threatened to take away her son the last time. That's not going to work this time. She's driven them away with her own antics. We could try a restraining order, but I think she'd see that as more of an invitation."

"Maybe we should invite Evan and his brother over for dinner and discuss it with them," Blair suggested.

"Unnecessary, I'm sure we'll manage on our own," Chuck replied, "I manipulate my business adversaries on a regular basis. Georgina should be no match for me."

"I know you hate to discuss business with me in our home, but there's a little problem with one of my suppliers. I need you to manipulate them into delivering my fabric order as scheduled," Blair cooed.

"Since when are you asking me to step in and help you solve your business problems?" he chuckled, "Aren't you the one that is always telling me to keep my hands off your business even though my business technically owns yours?"

"We agreed when I went back to work that you would stay out of my hair unless I asked for your help. Well, now I'm asking. My supplier is one of those 'good old boys' that thinks that a woman's only place is in the home tending to the children," she explained.

"And you want me to step in and perpetuate his archaic belief?" he lifted an eyebrow to her, "That doesn't sound like the woman I married that wanted to conquer the world."

"I wanted us to conquer the world," she corrected him, "And we've done that."

"I'll throw my weight around if that is what you truly want me to do," he told her, "But make sure that is what you want me to do."

"I'll think on it and get back to you tomorrow," Blair replied.

"Do you realize that in the five years I've been back to work, this is the first time you've come to me with a work related issue?" he chuckled, "You don't even come to me for budgetary issues."

"I never have budgetary issues," she smirked, "CB Fashions is completely self sustaining. All we do is increase your profit margins."

"That's enough business talk for today," he told her as he tapped her thigh lightly to signal that he wanted to get up out of his chair. "Weekends are devoted to my family, and right now I'd like to devote myself to you. As you have reminded me, we have a morning ritual."

Once he was on his feet, he swept her into his arms and carried her off to their bedroom to ravage her until their children were out of bed.

**TBC . . .**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**I cannot and will not ever be able to say thank you enough for the reviews. Please enjoy.**

"Chuck, get dressed for dinner," Blair commanded her husband as she popped her head into his sanctuary. He was sitting in his office reading one of his favorite novels.

Chuck took inventory of his attire. "I realize you are used to me in far less, but I am dressed for dinner."

"You're dressed for a family dinner," she scolded him, "You need to get dressed for the dinner party we are having."

"I don't recall you mentioning anything about a dinner party this morning when I asked what we were doing with our day," he replied as he closed his book as she sauntered towards him, her hips swaying seductively. That sway signaled trouble. She only did that on the rare occasions that she knew she was going to say something to displease him. His hands were around her waist as soon as she was close enough to touch as he held his breath and waited for her to break the bad news.

"Must have slipped my mind," she smiled as she let him find the zipper at her hip and let the skirt fall to the carpeted floor.

"You're buttering me up for something," he eyed her curiously, "The question remains to be seen as to what it is. It's never money, so we'll cross that off right now. You couldn't possibly be pregnant. The house is quiet, so none of the children have done anything to get in trouble. So my guess is that you're trying to soften the blow for who our dinner guests might be. How about you just tell me instead of seducing me first."

"Where is the fun in that?" she giggled as she climbed into his lap as she straddled his waist.

"What was I thinking?" he chuckled as she began the slow, seductive task of unbuttoning his shirt. "There was a time in which you'd just tear that shirt open."

"I believe that time was just last week, and you scolded me, proclaiming it had been one of your favorites," she smirked.

"How inconsiderate of me," he laughed as his hands found their way into her hair and pulling her head roughly toward his lips, kissing her thoroughly, "On behalf of my inconsiderate past self, I apologize for discouraging the destruction of what was once one of my favorite shirts in pursuits of my favorite pastime."

"You're talking too much like a grownup," Blair shook her head as she bit down roughly on his earlobe, "Less talking, more undressing."

"Daddy, hurry up, Evan and his family are going to be here soon," Charlotte stated as she bounced into her father's office without the requisite knock. She wasn't prepared for what she'd witness. "Oh, god! Lock the door when you're going to be doing that in here!"

"That should finally teach her to knock," Chuck laughed as he looked over his wife's shoulder to watch his daughter scramble out of the room with a sharp slam of the door behind her. He continued to chuckle until his daughter's words sunk in. "What was she saying about us having dinner with Evan Sparks and his family?"

"Charlotte, thought it was a good idea for us to have dinner with Evan, his brother, and sister-in-law. I happened to agree, so we arranged for them to join us this evening. Brice and Aiden took Barty to Lily's for the night, so we won't have Charlotte's annoying two brothers working up their overprotective father," Blair explained.

"Put your skirt back on," Chuck commanded her, "I cannot believe that you arranged all of this behind my back. I distinctly remember telling you that a dinner with Evan's family was not necessary. I can handle Georgina."

"This dinner has nothing to do with Georgina," Blair stated defensively. "This is about us getting to know Evan and his family. You of all people should appreciate this effort."

"Appreciate the effort, why the hell would I want to get to know Evan and his family?" he growled.

"Because he's dating your daughter," Blair hissed back, "And if you don't want to drive Charlotte away, you have to start accepting the fact that she's growing up."

"Why didn't you just ask me before you invited them?" Chuck groaned.

"Because you never would have agreed to this dinner," Blair rolled her eyes, "If you had your choice, Charlotte would be packing up and moving in to a convent right now. Wake up, Bass, our daughter is growing up. You can pretend that she's still that little girl on top of that pony you bought for her, but doesn't change the fact that she outgrew the pony."

Chuck was about to continue on with his protest, but his wife halted any further response.

"Tonight you are going to be the wonderful host that you always are when we bring a guest into our home, or you are going to join your boys at Lily's," Blair commanded him, "Is that clear?"

"Crystal," he grumbled.

"Now change your clothes and put on your happy grin," Blair added.

"I don't own a happy grin," he scowled at her as she began shoving him towards their bedroom.

"Then summon a tolerant scowl," Blair replied, "I don't care, but you will be polite and courteous."

Chuck continued to mutter under his breath as he disappeared into his bedroom to dress while Blair sought out her daughter to calm her down. She'd been flustered enough about tonight's dinner before witnessing her parent's office romp.

"Charlee," Blair began as she entered her daughter's bedroom where Charlotte was touching up her makeup, trying to cover the blush that had crept to her cheeks after finding her parents in the compromising position.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte stated automatically, "I should have knocked."

"Yes, you should have," Blair chuckled, "But I also should have locked the door. I knew what my intent was when I walked into your father's office."

"He's been awfully calm about this dinner tonight," Charlotte stated.

"Because he didn't know about it until a few minutes ago," Blair replied, "I went in to his office with the intent of telling him, but to do so . . ."

"You wanted to soften the blow," Charlotte concluded.

"We both know how he gets," Blair smiled.

"If he's going to cause a scene, maybe we should cancel," Charlotte stated, "I don't want to embarrass Evan. He's had a rough enough time at school this week. The kids have been pretty cruel to him about what happened at the dance last weekend. He didn't start smiling until I invited him to this dinner."

"Your father will behave," Blair assured her daughter, "As grumpy as he might be with me, he will mind his manners in the presence of others. I promise."

"Can you make sure he's in a good mood before Evan and his family arrives?" Charlotte inquired, "I don't think my frazzled nerves can handle a bad mood from him."

"I'll go see what I can do," Blair bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. She would never ask her daughter to clarify her request, but she was pretty sure Charlotte had asked her to go have sex with her husband.

"Is this acceptable?" Chuck inquired as he emerged from their closet dressed appropriately for dinner. His tone told her that he was still in his fowl mood.

"The attire is, the mood is not," Blair told him calmly, "You need to change that attitude."

"What do you expect from me?" he growled, "You threw this at me at the last minute."

"You're right," Blair replied as she straightened out his tie automatically, "That was wrong, but honestly I'm not sure telling you any sooner would have improved your mood. This is important to Charlotte in a way that you cannot imagine. She basically asked me to come in here and have sex with you, so you'd be in a good mood for this evening."

"She said those words?" Chuck inquired skeptically.

"Not those words," Blair replied, "But the interpretation was crystal clear, so please Chuck play nice this evening. You can be as upset with me as you want, but don't take this out on Charlotte or this boy."

"I will try my best," Chuck replied.

"For Charlotte," she added.

"For Charlotte," he nodded with a sigh, "And for you. You're right. Telling me any sooner would not have improved my mood. I'm being irrational about Charlotte dating. I need to start trusting her."

"It just shows how much you care about her," Blair smiled, "I cannot fault you for that."

"I'll behave," he vowed.

"I know," she nodded, "Because when this evening is over, you'll receive a very nice reward."

"Behavioral modification using sex as a reward, how long have you been working on that?" Chuck inquired.

"How long have we been married?" she pondered.

"Long enough for it to be working much better than it is," he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "When should we be expecting our guests?"

"A few minutes," she replied as she checked the watch on her wrist.

"Does that give us time for . . ." he inquired as he heard the tell tale chime of their elevator announced the arrival of their guests, ". . . I guess not."

"After dinner, I promise," Blair assured him as he took her hand and led her towards the entryway where Dorota was taking the coats of their dinner guests. Charlotte was curiously absent. "Good evening, Evan."

"Evening, Mrs. Bass," Evan stammered out nervously as he extended a bouquet of peonies towards his girlfriend's mother.

"My favorite, how thoughtful," Blair smiled, "Charlotte must have told you."

"Yes, Ma'am," Evan nodded, "This is my brother Fred and his wife, Julia."

"It's a pleasure meeting you," Blair stated as she shook each of their hands, "I'm Blair, and this is my husband, Chuck."

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Bass," Julia replied, "I'm a great admirer of your clothing line, and Mister Bass, my husband has quite a fascination in your company. You always seem to be the talk of the town."

"Call me Chuck, please," he requested as he extended his hands to the pair before he motioned them into the living room. "And we try to ensure that those conversations are positive ones."

"They are," Fred nodded, "Most of the senior partners at our firm won't go anywhere near your company's stock because of dealings they had with your father. Us junior partners know better. Bass Industries has become one of the safest investments in the market."

"We try our best," Chuck replied.

"We brought this bottle of merlot," Julia stated as she handed the bottle to Blair, "It's from my family's vineyard in France."

"My father owns a vineyard in France as well," Blair smiled as she read the label. The vineyard's name rang a bell. She remembered seeing in on the familiar drive to her father's property, "We're almost neighbors."

"It certainly is a small world," Julia smiled.

"Beautiful, would you go see what is keeping Charlotte?" Chuck inquired of his wife as their daughter was still curiously absent.

"I go, Mister Chuck," Dorota replied.

"That's okay, Dorota," Blair responded as she halted their maid, "I'll go check on her."

"Yes, Ms. Blair. Beverage anyone?" Dorota inquired as she turned her attention to their guests.

Everyone quickly put in their drink orders as Blair disappeared to find her daughter.

"Charlotte, we have guests," her mother stated as she found her daughter sitting at her vanity applying her lip-gloss. "Your guests."

"I know," Charlotte nodded as she shifted tasks and began curling random strands of her hair, anything to delay having to leave her room, "I heard the elevator."

"I know I told you that you should keep your date waiting, but that is for an actual date, not for dinner in your home," Blair informed her daughter, "Perhaps I should have made my instructions more clear."

"I understood what you meant. I'm not making Evan wait, at least not because of that," Charlotte replied as she brushed out the curls she'd just put in. Blair could see Charlotte's hands were shaking.

"Daddy has agreed to behave," Blair assured her daughter as she took the brush from her daughter's hand and set it down on the vanity, "And so far he's abiding by his vow. Come out and see for yourself."

"I can't," Charlotte stated as she turned towards her mother. "I've tried and every time I get stuck at the door."

"Charlotte, this is very unlike you," Blair stated in surprise.

"I know," she replied, "I don't know what is wrong with me. I just can't go out there. Maybe we should postpone for another evening."

"We will do know such thing," Blair replied, "You need to figure out how to get yourself out there and be the charming young lady that we've raised you to be."

"Maybe if I can speak with Daddy?" Charlotte inquired as she looked at her mother with the familiar doe eyes.

"I'll send him right in," Blair smiled slightly as she kissed the top of her daughter's head before leaving to fetch Chuck.

"Everything okay, Beautiful?" Chuck inquired as Blair returned alone.

"Yes, everything is fine," Blair replied, "She just needs your help with something in her bedroom."

Chuck looked at Blair curiously. There was more to the story than Blair was letting on. He quickly excused himself.

"Princess, you are making that poor young man rather anxious," Chuck told his daughter as he entered her room.

"Daddy, please promise me that you won't embarrass me this evening," Charlotte pleaded with her father.

"Perhaps you and I need to have a quick talk," Chuck told his daughter as he motioned for her to take a seat at her vanity as he snatched her desk chair and parked it in front of her. "I know I haven't been the most thrilled man since you went out on your first date last week, but this is hard for me. To me you are still that little girl that would come skipping into my office, climb into my lap and ask to have a fairytale read. I'm not ready to see you as the beautiful, young woman that you've become, and I'm certainly not ready for young boys to see you that way.

"I was that young man once upon a time, so I know what he's thinking. What he's thinking isn't an acceptable thought for any young man that is an acceptable date for my daughter."

"Daddy, Evan is not like you," Charlotte stated defensively, "Yes, you have things in common, but he's not you."

"I know," Chuck nodded, "I'm sure Evan has a lot of very nice qualities. He has to for an intelligent young woman like you to be interested."

"Don't you trust me, Daddy?" Charlotte patted her lashes as she pouted.

"I trust you, Princess," Chuck assured her, "Your mother and I have raised you right, and we know you have your own mind, but that young man also has his own mind. Those minds might not mesh."

"Evan is a good guy, Daddy," Charlotte stated, "Is all of this about Georgina being his mother?"

"No, I'll come around, Sweetheart," Chuck told his daughter as he took her hand and kissed it lightly, "Starting with tonight. You do not need to worry about me embarrassing you or causing Evan physical harm. Now come and join us. You are making that poor young man more nervous than I ever could."

"I doubt that, Daddy. You are a very intimidating man," Charlotte smiled as she hugged her father. "I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck replied as he held her for a moment longer than necessary.

Charlotte joined the rest of the dinner party with her father at her side.

"You look very pretty tonight, Charlotte," Evan stammered out as he extended her the lilies he'd had clutched tight in his hand since they'd arrived.

"Thank you," Charlotte blushed as she traded the flowers for the ginger ale that Dorota was handing her and had a seat next Evan as Blair continued on with her conversation with Fred and Julia. Chuck joined right in as Evan and Charlotte sat quietly in observation.

"Ms. Blair, Chef says dinner ready," Dorota announced as the laughter from Fred's jovial story died out. Charlotte and Evan were laughing politely, but Blair and surprisingly Chuck were laughing sincerely. Charlotte's pride in her father increased tenfold. He was making the effort, for her.

They moved to the dining room where Charlotte's favorite dish was on the menu, much to her delight.

"Evan, Charlotte says that you board your horse at the same stable as she does. Do you ride often?" Blair inquired in an attempt to get the two teenagers to include themselves in the conversation.

"Yes, Ma'am," Evan nodded, "I play polo with a club in Long Island."

"He's a very accomplished rider," Julia spoke up, her eyes beaming with pride, "And he's one of the best in the club."

"We haven't been to a polo match in such a long time," Blair realized, "Chuck, we should go when the weather turns warmer."

"We should indeed," Chuck nodded.

"And Charlotte, you ride," Fred prompted her.

"Yes," Charlotte nodded.

"She's an excellent equestrian jumper," Evan added with a blush.

"I entered a lot of equestrian competitions in my youth," Julia smiled, "It's an excellent hobby for a young woman. What are your plans for after Constance?"

"Either NYU, Brown or Columbia," Charlotte replied, "I'll be majoring in International Business."

Chuck's ears perked up at her reply. His daughter had been casually mentioned colleges for a few years, but never had she given specifics, nor a clue as to her major.

"Mom went to NYU. My godmother went to Brown and my godfather went to Columbia, so I figured that no matter my decision, I have three excellent alumni references to fall back on," Charlotte added, "Eventually I see myself following my father's footsteps at Bass Industries, though I think I'll have to compete with my brother, Brice, for the top seat."

"And you, Evan?" Blair inquired.

"I haven't narrowed down my options as Charlee has, but I do want to major in law, specifically family law," Evan replied, "Fred and I have spent so much time working within the judicial system trying to fight against our mother, that it doesn't take much to realize that the system is broken. Somehow I'd like to fix that."

"Evan," Julia scolded him.

"It isn't a secret, Julia," Evan replied, "Mister and Mrs. Bass know our mother."

"All too well," Blair chimed in as she gave Evan a sympathetic look.

"I didn't realize you knew Ms. Sparks," Julia replied softly as she looked to her plate. As far as she was concerned, her mother-in-law was a dirty little secret, and didn't appreciate her own family bringing the woman into their conversations.

"She was a thorn in our side for many years," Chuck explained, "It's a complicated relationship to explain, but an unwelcomed one, and one we've tried to distance ourselves from since our teenage years."

"And now she's the thorn in our side," Fred chimed in.

"Whatever help we can be, we will give it," Chuck offered him.

"That's very kind," Fred replied, "But unnecessary. She comes around about once a year to make trouble, but the arrangement we have worked out now is a pretty good one."

Julia snorted in reply, but no one pushed the conversation any further.

Soon dinner was over and the uncomfortable air that had engulfed them followed them back into the living room where after dinner drinks were served. Blair couldn't help but notice that Julia was drinking more heavily than the rest, and her words were starting to slur. Neither Fred nor Evan seemed surprised by her inebriated state, which led Blair to believe that this was a common occurrence.

"Mister Bass, your father was Bart Bass, was he not?" Julia asked suddenly.

"He was," Chuck nodded. He and his wife traded a quick glance as both wondered where she could be heading with this line of questioning. Bart was not a name that was mentioned in casual conversations. Chuck said a silent prayer that his father hadn't caused her family any trouble during his business dealings in the past.

"So then you're considered 'new money'," Julia added, her words were one long slur followed closely by a hiccup, "And you Mrs. Bass, or Waldorf-Bass, are from old money. How could your family allow you to associate with this miscreant, let alone marry him?"

Blair's eyes widened in surprise. This had never been an issue for her. Her family's issues, or the problems her mother had with her relationship were from an entirely different place. "I don't know what you're talking about," Blair managed to respond calmly.

"Oh, come on! New money just doesn't belong in our society," Julia insisted. "They have no true class."

"You are such a snob!" Charlotte exclaimed as she rose to her feet quickly. "My father has more class in his little finger than you obviously do in your entire body."

"Charlotte," Blair discouraged her from continuing.

"No," Charlotte shook off her mother's warning as she stepped across the room to be eye level with the inebriated woman, "My father is the most wonderful man in the entire world. He gave up everything to be able to be with my brothers and I while we were growing up. Even when he went back to work full time, he made sure that he was there for every school conference, every jumping competition, every after school function. Whenever we need him, he drops everything to be there for us. He gives millions to charity each year without batting an eyelash. He loves my mother with every fiber of his being and would never consider cheating on her. If that means he has less class than so called 'old money' then I'll take it."

Charlotte paused for a moment to calm herself as her 'Waldorf temper' was getting the better of her. "Evan, I'm sorry, but I don't think we should see each other any more."

"Charlotte," Evan began.

"I'd like you to leave," Charlotte stopped him from continuing, "And please take your brother and sister-in-law with you."

"Charlotte," Evan repeated as she abruptly left the room. He lunged for her head, but she was gone before he could get a grip.

"How dare you come in to my home and insult my family," Blair snarled at Julia, "I could tell you things about your father that would make you cringe, but I would never be so crass as to bring them up during a function such as this. Bart Bass may not have been the nicest man in the world, but he worked hard for his money. 'New money' and 'old money' does not make one person better than the other, and certainly doesn't prove one's class. Please leave our home." She turned away abruptly to go comfort her daughter and missed Fred's response.

"I cannot believe you created such a scene this evening," Fred growled in his wife's ear as he snatched the glass of wine out of her hand and set it aside, "We are guests in these peoples' home, and they have been nothing but hospitable. Mister Bass, I apologize profusely for my wife's behavior, and please apologize to both your wife and daughter. My wife's alcohol induced rant does not speak to my nor my brother's feelings."

Chuck nodded in acceptance of Fred's apology as he escorted the trio to the elevator.

"Mister Bass, Charlotte means a lot to me," Evan stated as he stopped himself from stepping on the elevator, "I don't want something like this to come between us."

"Give my daughter a few days to give this some thought. Perhaps when she's had a chance to calm down she'll see things different," Chuck advised the young man as he ushered him into the elevator.

As soon as their guests had left, he dashed to his daughter's room to find Charlotte sobbing against her mother's shoulder. This had seemed like an inevitable conclusion to the evening, but the cause was anything but. The source of their fortune had never been an issue. They were exceedingly wealthy. It was as simple as that.

Once upon a time, children at his private school had frowned upon him because of his 'new money' status, but no one had ever questioned Charlotte's belonging. That her boyfriend's sister-in-law had done so, in such a tasteless way, hurt Charlotte in a way Chuck was unprepared for. He had half a mind to go after the Brandt family fortune and drive them in to poverty for hurting his little girl.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," Charlotte wailed as she ran straight into her father's arms and sobbed even harder.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Princess," Chuck assured her as he kissed the top of her head.

"I had no idea that he felt that way," she continued to sob against his chest.

"Those feelings were Julia's, not Evan or Fred's," Chuck told her gently, "Fred wanted me to apologize to both you and your mother and make that point clear. Thank you for standing up for me as you did, though it is not necessary. This prejudice is something that I have encountered for most of my life and does not bother me."

"This has happened before!" Charlotte exclaimed, her outrage evident.

"Sweetheart, what Evan's sister-in-law said was horrible, but she isn't the only one that feels that way," Blair chimed in, "And while my family never said anything to me directly, nor stood in our way, there maybe those that felt that I shouldn't have married your father because of his status."

"That is utterly ridiculous!" Charlotte exclaimed, her anger growing by the moment.

"I agree," Blair smiled as she approached the duo and put her hand on her husband's shoulder, "He may have been a little rough around the edges, but that had nothing to do with his money status."

"And a little coaxing is all it took to get your mother to class me up," Chuck added with a slight chuckle.

"That's not funny," Charlotte did her best not to smile.

"What people say about us does not matter," her father told her, "Because at the end of the day, we can look in the mirror and feel good about who we are. We are Basses. That's something that I hope you can be proud of."

"It is," Charlotte nodded vigorously, "It always has been."

"How about we all get some sleep?" Chuck encouraged his daughter. "We can discuss this some more tomorrow."

"Okay," she nodded as she smiled slightly, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Princess," he replied as he kissed her forehead.

Blair kissed her daughter goodnight as well and then followed her husband out of her daughter's room and into her own.

"I wanted to rip that woman's face off," Blair confessed as she turned her back to her husband to have him help her remove her necklace. "How could you stand there so calmly and just take that?"

"Because I promised Charlotte an evening free of embarrassment," Chuck replied as he fumbled with the clasp, more so on purpose so that he could inhale more of her tantalizing scent, "And honestly, it's something that I've become accustomed to hearing over the years. Saint Judes was good preparation for this evening."

"We need to find a different school to send our children to," Blair announced, "That is simply an unacceptable practice."

"Says the woman that still considers Brooklyn a curse word," Chuck reminded her, "We have our own prejudices, Sweetheart."

"I . . . that's differ . . . that's not the point," Blair settled on finally.

"It is entirely the point," Chuck replied, "We can claim outrage at Julia's proclamation as much as we want, but it does not change the fact that we feel as though we have more of a sense of entitlement that most. Julia's words were hurtful, and yes, I agree she does owe our daughter an apology, but it is the world that we live in. There are prejudices everywhere. We can only control the prejudices of those in this household."

"Then we need to do better," Blair realized, "But I still want to put that woman in her rightful place. Perhaps I can get Daddy to buy that place her family tried to pass off as a vineyard. That wine tasted awful."

"But it certainly didn't stop her from knocking it back. It definitely wasn't 'Bello Amore'," Chuck laughed as he referenced her father's signature wine, and still most popular in their collection, though he and Roman had branched out after their first successful endeavor.

"Chuck, was I . . . did I . . ." Blair fumbled.

"What is it, Blair?" Chuck inquired as she couldn't adequately phrase her question as she turned to face him.

"Was I ever as rude to you as Julia?"

"Because of my social status, no," he shook his head, "You had other reasons to despise me."

"I never despised you," she scoffed, "I merely didn't believe that you were living up to your true potential."

"And I was dragging your precious Nathaniel with me," he added.

"I was quite the bitch back then, wasn't I," she frowned.

"Yes," he told her, "But I was still in love with you."

"I'm sorry," she replied as she batted her eyelashes so that he would accept her apology without hesitation, "Please let me make it up to you."

"And how would you do that?" he inquired, "These wounds run very deep."

"How deep?" she pressed herself up against him as tight as she could.

"Very deep," he replied as she began kissing along his jaw.

"How about I let you deep inside me, so very deep that it makes you forget all of that hurt and pain of so many years ago," she suggested.

"Hmmm," he hummed happily as she suddenly tore open his dress shirt with surprising force that had him chuckling. "I forget how strong you are sometimes."

"Care for another demonstration," she smirked as she backed him against the bed and then gave him a healthy shove as he tumbled backwards, bouncing into the softness before she climbed over him.

"My herculean wife," he chuckled.

**TBC . . .**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

The morning after the dinner debacle, Blair, Chuck, and Charlotte woke up to sea of lilies that filled the entryway, Charlotte's favorite flower.

"Chuck?" Blair inquired as she looked to her husband to see if he was responsible for the gesture that put the smile on Charlotte's face. Chuck shook his head. As much as he wanted to claim the gesture, he couldn't.

"Mister Evan," Dorota stated as she handed Charlotte the card that had accompanied the flowers.

"There must be ten bouquets here," Blair replied as she stepped around to take in each unique arrangement.

"It doesn't change anything," Charlotte stated as she handed the card back to Dorota without so much as a glance. She turned around abruptly and left the room without another word.

"I keep card," Dorota stated as she slipped it into the pocket of her apron, "For when Miss Charlotte change mind. She like you, Ms. Blair, so I know she will."

"You are so right, Dorota," Blair smiled as she hugged her long time companion.

"There is coffee and pastry in dining room," Dorota stated, "All Miss Charlotte's favorites."

"Thank you," Chuck nodded as he grasped Blair's hand and brought her into the dining room to have breakfast. "When should we expect our sons home?"

"When your mother tires of them," Blair replied as she poured her husband a cup of coffee before she poured her own.

"We may never see them again," Chuck laughed as Blair set a pastry in front of him. He reached out for her hand to lick the icing off her fingers. They traded mischievous grins as he continued to lick her fingers seductively even after all of the icing was now gone.

"Charlotte," Blair stated as to remind him that their daughter could walk in at any moment as he looked on the verge of pulled her to her feet and having his way with her on the dining room table, "But maybe a little later."

"You have yourself a date," he told her with a playful wink.

"Have I told you lately how much I love your mother," Blair replied, "She's always willing to take our children off our hands, even with very little notice."

"She's always eager to spoil them more so than you and I ever would," he smirked.

"I didn't think it was possible," Blair smiled.

Lily spoiled her grandchildren and spent as much time with them as she could. When their children went to spend time with their grandmother, they usually came home with an armful of gifts and hopped up on entirely too much sugar or exhausted from far too little sleep.

"Barty might wear out his welcome before the boys do," Blair laughed. Just as the words came out of her mouth, the elevator chimed. Barty pounced on Blair with very little warning as he licked her face. In his excitement he nearly knocked Blair off her chair.

"Down boy," Chuck commanded as Brice came in to corral his dog, "If anyone gets to lick my wife, it's me."

"Dad," Brice groaned as Barty calmed down enough so that Blair could scratch behind his ears without him jumping up on her again. Barty planted his chin on Blair's thigh as Brice and Aiden sat down and joined their parents for breakfast.

"Why are their so many flowers in the entryway?" Aiden inquired as he reached for a piece of pastry.

"Isn't it obvious," Brice laughed, "Dad did something last night that angered Charlotte, and he's trying to make amends like he would with Mom."

"Daddy didn't do anything," Charlotte quickly defended her father as she joined her family for breakfast. Barty quickly pulled away from Blair and greeted Charlotte in a similar fashion to her mother. "The flowers are from Evan. It's his sister that created the scene last night, and he's trying to apologize for it."

"It must have been quite the scene," Brice snickered, "There are a dozen bouquets in there."

"According to his sister-in-law, we have no place in society because Daddy came from 'new money'," Charlotte spit out bitterly as she took her seat.

"Maybe we should show her the bank statement from Dad's account. Perhaps if she sees the number of digits involved, she'll change her mind," Brice quipped.

"It's not worth the effort," Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Evan is not worth the effort."

Blair began to address Charlotte's comments, but Chuck's hand covering hers halted her efforts. This wasn't the time. He knew his daughter. She needed a period of time to cool down, and one night of sleep wasn't nearly long enough.

* * *

And so the day passed. Charlotte stayed mostly to herself. Two more deliveries of flowers arrived, but Charlotte refused to even accept them as she directed Dorota to donate them to the nearest hospital.

"Chuck, do you think it is wise to let Charlotte stew for so long?" Blair inquired as she found Chuck standing in the doorway of the family room where Charlotte was quietly reading with Barty curled up at her side as she caressed the dog's head rhythmically. He was watching their daughter closely.

"When it was you, I would have waited a week," he told her quietly as Blair's arms wrapped around his waist.

"This is your daughter," Blair reminded him.

"I can hear you, you know," Charlotte spoke up as she closed the book, having tired of being talked about like she wasn't even there.

"Sorry, Sweetheart," Blair replied sheepishly.

"I know that you're both worried about me, but I'm fine," Charlotte tried to assure them as she rose to her feet. She walked past them both quickly. The light that they were accustomed to seeing in her eyes was absent.

"Charlotte, please talk to us," Blair requested as she reached out for her daughter's hand.

Charlotte quickly pulled her hand away. "There isn't anything to talk about. Like I just said, I'm fine. I'm just looking for a quiet place to read away from prying eyes. Is it too much to ask for in my own home?" She sulked out of the room with Barty nipping at her heels. Both Chuck and Blair were startled by the slamming door.

"I knew her dating was a bad idea," Chuck sighed.

"She's going to get through this," Blair assured him, "Right now, I'm sure she feels like her heart is breaking, but it's not."

"We're just helpless," he frowned as Blair hugged him, "I can't just buy her a pony anymore to get her to smile, and I hate that. I don't like not doing anything."

"Times are different. A band-aid and a kiss to her boo-boo aren't going to work anymore, and I know that scares you. Yes, she's going up, and she's dealing with the emotions that go along with it. All we can do now is be there when she needs us," Blair replied, "Remember what you said so many years ago: _We cannot hold her in our arms and protect her from the world for the rest of her life. She's going to fall and get hurt. She's going to scrap her knees. She's going to be disappointed and have her heart broken. We cannot stop any of that. What we can do is be there for her. We can pick her up. We can clean up her knees. We can reassure her and try to mend her broken heart. We can wipe the tears out of her eyes and promise her that we'll always be there for her when she needs us. _Those words are as true now as they were then."

"I hate that you are using my words against me right now," he grumbled.

"They were wise words, Bass," she smiled, "Charlotte knows that we're there if she needs us."

"Do you honestly expect me to just stand by as she goes through this and do nothing?"

"You're not doing nothing," Blair replied as she rubbed his chest affectionately, "You're here. When she's ready, she'll talk."

"In the meantime, I have work to do," Chuck replied as he kissed Blair's forehead before he disappeared into his office.

"What happened to weekends being for family?" Blair inquired as she followed him in as he was pulling a file out of his safe.

"This involves my family," Chuck told her as he dropped the file onto his desk.

"Are you still worried about Georgina?" Blair inquired as she read the name on the file, "If Charlotte is truly done with Evan, she's not our problem anymore."

"Do you think Charlotte is done with Evan?" Chuck inquired, "Because I see so much of you in her. She'll give him a second chance if he earns it, and those flowers in the entryway tell me he's half way there."

"Go away, Brice, I'm not in the mood to trade barbs with you," Charlotte groaned as her brother barged into her room without knocking.

"Come on, Charlee," Brice replied, "Where is my insulting big sister? You never miss a moment to torment me."

"Seriously, Brice, go away or I tell Mom and Dad that I found you and Billy smoking pot at the hospital charity gala a month ago," Charlotte threatened him.

"You've become such a brat since you found yourself a boyfriend," Brice replied as he turned to leave.

"Evan is not my boyfriend!" Charlotte exclaimed as she picked up her hairbrush and threw it at him, "I never want to see him again!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Brice hollered back as he caught the metal in midair. It was her favorite brush, a gift from their grandmother, Eleanor. Charlotte has always treated the gift with the utmost care as it was a family heirloom.

"Get out of my room!" Charlotte hollered as she picked up the next item within her grasp, which was a beaded hairclip.

"What is going on in here?" Blair exclaimed as she came in just as a flurry of hairbands began to fly in Brice's direction.

"He just barged into my room and started calling me names!" Charlotte exclaimed, "Get him out of here."

"I just came in to ask her a question, and she flipped out on me," Brice responded as he passed the hairbrush to his mother. Blair recognized it immediately and knew she had to step in and handle things.

"Brice, why don't you take Barty for a walk," Blair suggested as she began picking up hairbands before Barty could inadvertently swallow them, "When you get back, we will need to talk about respecting people's personal space, but right now I want to talk to Charlee."

"Come on, Barty," Brice motioned for his dog to join him as he gave a high-pitched whistle. Barty followed along willingly as he always did. The dog was fond of all the children, but Brice was always going to be his favorite. Whenever Brice called, Barty went. Blair shut the door behind her son.

"Charlotte, throwing things at your brother is not acceptable behavior in this house," Blair scolded her daughter.

"He came into my room without knocking," Charlotte stated defensively.

"And I will talk to him about that," she assured her daughter, "But you cannot throw family heirlooms at him. Sweetheart, I know you're hurting right now, but you cannot take it out on your brother."

"I'm not hurting," Charlotte insisted, "Evan and I went to one dance together. It was no big deal."

"It was a very big deal," Blair insisted, "It was your first date. A girl never forgets that."

"But I want to forget," Charlotte stated as the tears she'd been fighting back all day began, "I wish Daddy had never let me go. It was a bad idea. He was right. I'm not ready to date."

"Yes, you are," Blair assured her, "You are beautiful and smart and kind and generous and witty. You are ten times more wonderful than I could have hoped to be at your age. Your friends always look to you for guidance, but not because you are their queen and they have to. They genuinely like and trust you. They trust your opinions and taste because both are impeachable."

"Then why did I choose Evan," Charlotte stated as she wrapped her arms around her body to hug herself.

"Is that what this is about?" Blair realized as she wrapped her arms around her daughter to provide comfort, "Do you think Evan was a bad choice of dates because of what his sister said about your father?"

"Yes," she nodded as she broke down in her mother's arms.

"Sweetheart, his sister's feelings are not your fault, and his brother made it clear that her feelings do not mirror theirs," Blair assured her, "If you want my opinion, I think Evan is a very nice young man."

"How can you even say that?" Charlotte scoffed, "You don't even know him."

"For the brief time that I have spent with him, I stand by my assessment," Blair replied, "The biggest statement that has been made though is that you like him. I know you think you made the biggest mistake in the world right now, but you didn't. You have wonderful instincts about people, Charlotte."

"Not about Evan," she shook her mother off.

"Including Evan," Blair replied as she wiped at her daughter's tears, "Go into the entryway, Sweetheart. Go look at all those flowers that young boy sent you. He's clearly crazy about you. Teenage boys do not make those types of romantic gestures for simple crushes."

"You said Daddy did that for you all the time," Charlotte replied.

"And it wasn't a simple little crush," Blair smiled, "Take a look around you. Daddy bought all of this for me . . . us, long before there was an us."

"You think I should give Evan a second chance," Charlotte sighed.

"I think you should listen to your heart," Blair advised her. "It took me a long time to listen to mine, but when I finally did I was rewarded with the most amazing life I could have ever imagined."

"What if I get hurt?" Charlotte stated as fresh tears welled in her eyes.

"There is always a risk," Blair replied, "But it's better to put yourself out there and take that risk than to end up alone. Nobody knows that better than your father."

"Maybe tomorrow I'll talk to Evan at school and hear him out," Charlotte sighed, "But it will have to be nothing short of poetry to woo me back."

"Oh, Sweetheart, he's a fifteen year old boy. He knows nothing of poetry," Blair smiled, "I think you should set your sights a bit lower. Perhaps you should talk Dorota into giving you the note that accompanied the flowers. That should allow you to set your sights appropriately."

Charlotte nodded as she wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes.

"And apologize to Brice for throwing things at him," Blair replied.

"I'm sorry for throwing Great Grandmother's hairbrush," Charlotte replied as she picked up the brush that her mother had set aside and returned it to the rightful place on her vanity.

"It's perfectly alright," Blair smiled as she hugged her daughter once more, "From what I've heard, she had just as fiery of a temper as you and I."

**TBC . . .**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"This is becoming a routine I could get used to," Chuck smiled as he was greeted by Blair when he returned home from work. Her arms wrapped around him immediately.

"I'm starting a new trend," she replied, "One in which I'm home at a decent hour."

"Always the trend setter," he chuckled as he dipped in to kiss her.

"We're having a guest for dinner tonight," Blair replied as she pulled away reluctantly. She could feel his fingers tugging lightly at her blouse. She didn't want to deter him, but she didn't think it appropriate to allow him to ravish her in the entryway where their children could happen upon them . . . yet again.

"Is Serena joining us?"

Blair shook her head to reject his guess.

"Nathaniel?"

Blair continued to shake her head.

"Lily? Eric?"

"No and no," Blair replied with an amused giggle at the adorable frustration that was written across his face, "How about I just tell you?"

"How about you just tell me?" he laughed as he pecked at her lips again.

"Evan," Blair smiled.

"After one day, he's already managed to make amends for his inappropriate sister-in-law and get invited to dinner. He's a smoother operator than I gave him credit for."

"It has nothing to do with him being an operator of any sort," Blair assured him, "They were assigned a school project together today. Being that she's my daughter, she wanted to get started on it immediately."

"Whose idea was it to invite him to dinner?" Chuck inquired.

"Mine," Blair replied, "It's nearly dinnertime. They still have work that needs to be done, so I made the offer to Charlotte that she could invite him if she was comfortable with it."

"You don't suppose that this entire scenario with Evan's sister was cooked up to be some elaborate ruse by our daughter to drum up some sort of sympathy for her choice of boyfriends?" Chuck thought out loud.

"No," Blair laughed, "Charlotte's mind isn't nearly that diabolical."

"We would have thought of it," Chuck reminded her.

"Because we were deceitful and devious and bored," Blair replied, "That's not Charlotte. Now go change for dinner. You have a few minutes."

"Brice and Aiden are . . ." Chuck inquired.

"Brice is studying in his bedroom. Aiden is in the kitchen with Chef," Blair replied.

"I'm just going to look in on everyone before I ravage you," Chuck replied.

"You're going to check up on Charlotte," Blair amended, "You can say it. I won't overreact. I'll be in your office."

"What is wrong with your office?" he chuckled.

"Mine doesn't have that comfy leather sofa that we can stretch out on," she chuckled.

"How many minutes do we have before dinner anyways?" he smirked.

"Enough," she patted his chest, "If you don't take too long."

"I take as long as you need," his smirked turned devilish.

"I meant there was enough time for you to look in on our children," she tapped his chest before she turned sharply on her heel and disappeared into his office, "I promise not to start without you."

"Minx," he teased as she strutted away with an extra flair of her hips.

Blair turned around briefly to give him her most tempting smile before she disappeared into his office. He very nearly followed her, but his need to check in on his children, mostly his daughter, was slightly greater.

"How is the studying going, Brice?" Chuck inquired as he looked in on his son first. He hadn't thought for a minute that he'd find his son's head buried in a schoolbook. Brice never studied until it was almost too late or his hand was forced, usually by his father. As he expected, Brice had his head buried in a magazine with headphones covering his ears, his head bobbing with the beat. He was oblivious to his father's intrusion. Chuck nudged his son's bed to get his attention. "Finished studying already?"

"Just taking a break," Brice replied as he lifted his headphones away. Chuck lifted an eyebrow to tell his son that he didn't believe him. "Alright, fine, I'm waiting until after dinner to start." Chuck continued to stare his son down. "I'll let you check it when I'm done."

"Yes, you will," Chuck nodded as he ruffled the hair on his son's head, "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Charlotte's in the study with Evan," Brice hoped to rat his sister out so his father would leave him in peace.

"I know," Chuck laughed at his son's obvious ruse, "And I'll leave you to your reading after you hand over the 'Playboy'. You're going to have to come up with a better cover magazine than 'Popular Mechanics'."

"It's not mine, Dad," Brice grumbled as he reluctantly handed it over, "I need to give it back."

"And I'll give it back," Chuck assured him, "When you're eighteen."

"Dad," Brice groaned, "Don't tell me you didn't look at these when you were my age."

"I looked and did so much more," Chuck replied, "It doesn't mean it was right. Your mother and I want better for you."

"What is so wrong with how you did things?" Brice pressed, "You ended up with Mom."

"What is wrong is that I hurt countless women in the process, including your saint of a mother. The girls in these magazines have families. They are somebody's daughter, somebody's sister. They deserve to be treated with respect, not ogled over by hormonal teenage boys. I went off what Grandpa Bart did because I didn't know any better. You know better," Chuck explained as he rolled up the magazine and tapped his son's thigh gently with it.

"Is this the start of another one of those 'when I was your age' stories because if it is, I'd rather not," Brice rolled his eyes as the sarcasm dripped out of his response.

"You're getting out of it . . . for now," Chuck sighed, "But we are going to talk about this some more in the near future."

"Fine, but are we done now?" Brice groaned.

"Are you in a hurry to catch up on your 'Popular Mechanics'?" Chuck laughed.

"I'm in a hurry to end this talk."

"Enjoy your foray into the world of auto repair," Chuck continued laughing as he left his older son's room to look in on his daughter.

"Hi, Daddy," Charlotte smiled happily as her father entered the study where she and Evan were hard at work on their assignment.

"How was school today, Sweetheart?" Chuck inquired as he leaned in to kiss her cheek while looking over her shoulder to make sure she was actually doing schoolwork. It was not lost on him that Charlotte was holding Evan's hand.

"Rachel took a spill today in school and showed the world her knickers. Thankfully today was a day she actually wore them," Charlotte giggled in reference to one of her many friends, "But proving that nothing sticks to her, she rose dramatically to her feet and took a bow."

"Hello, Evan," Chuck nodded towards the nervous young man sitting next to his daughter.

"Hi, Mister Bass," Evan stuttered. Chuck took a small amount of pleasure in the fact that he still made the young boy nervous. He hoped that didn't wear off any time soon, as the longer he could intimidate the boy, the better behaved Evan would be with his precious angel.

"Is that a new bracelet, Charlotte?" Chuck inquired as he spotted a shiny trinket on her wrist.

"Isn't it beautiful, Daddy?" Charlotte held up her wrist to show her father her brand new charm bracelet with a platinum apple, "Evan gave it to me this afternoon when we got home from school. It's from Tiffany's."

"It's lovely," Chuck smiled, "I believe dinner will be ready soon, so get to a good stopping point."

"Aiden came in a few minutes ago and said we still had about twenty minutes," Charlotte smiled.

"I'd better go look in on him then," Chuck replied as he kissed her forehead again, "I love you, Princess."

"I love you too, Daddy," she smiled as Chuck walked away. Evan looked to Charlotte with envy. She had a relationship with her father that he could never even hope to have.

"Good evening, Mister Bass," their chef greeted his employer as Chuck strolled casually into the kitchen to see what his youngest was up to.

"Good evening, Chef," Chuck nodded as he watched his son hard at work, "Hi, Aiden."

"Hi, Dad," Aiden replied as he turned greet his father.

"How was your day, Buddy?" Chuck inquired.

"Good," Aiden responded as he turned to stir that sauce that Chef had put him in charge of that evening. It was a big night for him. Chef was usually such a stickler when it came to his sauces that he wouldn't let Aiden contribute. It was clear that Aiden's skills were advancing from the impressed look on their Chef's face as he tasted Aiden's effort.

"What are you making?"

"Chicken Chasseur," Aiden replied as he dipped a spoon in the sauce and then pointed it towards his father, "Does this need more cognac or white wine in the sauce?"

Chuck dutifully tested it and found it to be perfectly balanced as it should have been. "It tastes wonderful, Aiden."

Aiden smiled proudly as the chef left to get the dining room set up for dinner.

"How was school today?" Chuck inquired as he took a seat at the bar stool to watch his son work.

"It was alright," Aiden shrugged as he moved around the kitchen effortlessly. He was more at home in the kitchen than he was in any other room of their home, and it was clear that he loved what he was doing, even at such a young age.

"How did that book report turn out?" Chuck asked, referencing the report he'd spent the better part of two evenings helping Aiden with the previous week.

"B plus," Aiden replied.

"That's very good," Chuck smiled.

"It's not an 'A' like Brice or Charlee," he sighed.

"You are not Brice or Charlee," Chuck replied, "Your mother and I don't expect you to compete with either of them. This is going to sound cheesy, but we just want you to do your best. Besides you have a talent that neither of them possess that will take you far, if you want it to."

"Do you think I can make a living as a chef?"

"I know you can," Chuck nodded, "You're nine years old, and you're doing things that most chef students don't dream of doing until well into the culinary training."

"I suppose," he replied.

"When the time is right, CIA will be lucky to have you," Chuck replied.

"Thanks," Aiden stated.

"I'll let you get back to work," Chuck stated.

"Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes," Aiden advised him as Chuck went to find his wife who was waiting anxiously in his office.

"Took you long enough, Bass," Blair smiled as she sauntered towards him. His lips crashed against hers immediately, catching her off guard. All she could do was hang on and ride through his sudden wave of passion.

"Have I thanked you lately for giving me the three most amazing children in the world?" he asked as he continued to peck lightly at her lips.

"I believe you had some say in that," she chuckled as she pulled at his tie, "Have I mentioned how much of a turn on these power suits are? I always enjoy helping you out of them."

"Fifteen minutes, Beautiful, that isn't enough time for what I have in mind," he chuckled.

"I can settle for quick, if you promise to be more thorough later," she smirked as she pulled the tie all the way off and let it fall to the floor before she shed his suit jacket.

"Why do you have to be so damn tempting?" he groaned as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in as tight as possible.

"To seduce you," she chuckled as she began nibbling on his chin. "I have been thinking about this moment all afternoon. No more talking and much more action."

"How is it possible that you are this tempting to me after all these years?" he chuckled as she quickly began unbuttoning each button of his dress shirt, kissing each new patch of skin as she revealed it.

"No talking," she scolded him as she momentarily pressed her fingers to his lips, "Undress me now."

* * *

"I hope you know that Evan, Brice and I heard the two of you having sex," Charlotte announced after Evan had left for the evening. Chuck and Blair were curled up together in his office reading to each other as they did every Monday evening.

"We're sorry if we embarrassed you, Sweetheart," Blair bit her lip to keep from laughing, "But never will we apologize for being in love and needing to express it."

"You guys can be so embarrassing sometimes. I was able to convince Evan that you were probably just rearranging furniture as you liked to do that."

"I can't believe he fell for that," Blair whispered to her husband.

"You have to stop doing that thing when I have friends over," Charlotte demanded.

"It's called sex, Charlotte," Chuck added dryly.

"I know what it is," Charlotte stomped her foot in anger, "But it has to stop when I have friends over, or at the very least take it to your bedroom where it's sound proofed."

"Charlee, your father and I are two responsible, married adults, in a loving, committed relationship. When we are inside our own home, we will do as we please. If you have a problem with that, I suggest not bringing friends home," Blair stated calmly.

"This is so totally unfair!" Charlotte exclaimed as she turned around abruptly and stomped off to her room.

"That looks familiar," Chuck laughed as he watched their daughter imitate his wife almost to perfection, "And since when are you okay with others hearing our office activities? I seem to recall a certain someone once locking herself in our bedroom when a few of our guests overheard us."

"A seven year old boy asked me what screw meant as a result of one of those encounters," Blair stated defensively as she elbowed him lightly in the stomach, "That isn't something that a person forgets."

"I don't exactly recall hearing a complaint during the actual act," he chuckled.

"Chuck, be serious," Blair scolded him, "We have a serious issue here. You promised years ago that you would sound proof this room, yet you never have."

"This hasn't been an issue for nearly twenty years," Chuck laughed.

"Apparently it is now," Blair replied, "Charlotte likes having those soiree sleepovers like I used to have with her friends. We cannot deny her that."

"Perhaps when she has those soirees, you and I should reserve a room at one of the many hotels in our empire," he suggested.

"And who will we get to chaperone their activities?" Blair inquired, her eyes brightening a little at his reference of it being 'their empire'. She loved that he always kept it at the forefront of his thoughts that they shared everything. Never once had he ever slipped and mentioned that he was the single owner of anything. Even though he was technically her boss, they never fell into those roles unless it was one of the kinky games they were playing. He always made a point of assuring her that they were equals. "I'm not leaving teenage girls unattended. I trust Charlee. I don't necessarily trust all her little friends."

"That is what we have Dorota for, Beautiful," Chuck reminded her as he brushed the hair away from her neck, revealing that tantalizing nape that always left him weak in the knees.

"I suppose we have time to think about this," she sighed as his lips closed in on her neck, "Charlotte isn't due to have a soiree for a while."

"We have another problem now though," Chuck stated reluctantly. "Charlotte has her first boyfriend. I believe that is the dilemma that we need focus on. Did you see the gift on her wrist?"

"I think the bracelet is sweet," Blair smiled.

"Sweet is just wonderful," Chuck responded sarcastically. "If we're going to allow this relationship to take its course, there are going to be restrictions, lots of restrictions."

"If her first date was the benchmark, I'm not the least bit surprised. You have taken the protective father bit to an entirely new level," she chuckled, "But as long as you're allowing it, I'll support your restrictions."

"I still don't like this," he sighed.

"Duly noted, and nobody expects you to like this," she continued chuckling, "In fact if you did like this, I would probably would have to commit you because you would have completely lost your mind."

"Don't put away those asylum brochures just yet," he replied, "Charlotte dating may just end up being the straw that finally breaks me."

"You'll make it," she chuckled, "I'll make sure of that. I don't want to have to run all the way to the Ostroff Center every time I have an urge that only you are able to satisfy."

"I love you," he smiled as he began nuzzling her neck again in hopes that she would take it as her clue to begin distracting him.

"How about we move to the comforts of our soundproofed bedroom?" she suggested, "You promised me thorough remember."

* * *

After Blair had fallen asleep in his arms, Chuck slipped out of bed and donned his robe to look in on his children. Aiden was sound asleep with a book tucked under his chin that Chuck carefully removed as his kissed his son's forehead.

Brice was turning in his sleep as he usually did with Barty at the foot of his bed, oblivious to the continuous motion. Barty lifted his head to acknowledge Chuck before he returned to his slumber.

He was so proud of his boys. They had their moments where Chuck's most annoying traits came out in his boys, but they were happy and driven. He didn't worry about them the way most people probably had worried about him.

When he looked in on Charlotte, his heart began to ache at the realization that she truly wasn't his little girl anymore. She had turned in to a confident and beautiful young woman. That he hadn't dealt with young boys beating down his door until now had been a miracle. He had a feeling that Evan was going to be the first of many boys coming into their lives, and he was going to hate each and every one of them. His dilemma was going to come on that day in which she found the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to let go.

He felt Blair's arms come around his waist as she kissed his shoulder.

"She's so beautiful, Blair," he whispered softly, "Like her mother."

"She has her father in her too," Blair reminded him.

"It's going to be tough to let her go when we have to," Chuck admitted.

"We never have to let her go," Blair told him, "She's always going to be our daughter. That will never change."

"Our daughter," he repeated with a smile, "One of the four best things I've ever done."

"Come back to bed," she urged him out of the room.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he promised her with a kiss her lips.

"I'm hauling you back to bed if you're not at my side in two minutes," she cautioned him.

"I'll be there," he assured her with one more kiss.

He watched Charlotte sleep for another minute before he stepped in and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Princess," he whispered softly.

"I love you too, Daddy," she mumbled as she turned over and returned to sleep.

He knew at that moment he would do whatever it took to keep his little girl safe and happy, even if he had to make a deal with the devil to do it.

**TBC . . .**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Pretty light with the reviews of the last chapter. I hope you all are still enjoying this. There are still Chair fans out there, right?**

"Who do you think you are to summon me?" Georgina hissed as she was escorted into Chuck's office by a senior member of Bass Industries' security team. She immediately ripped her arm out of his hand as she glared at the man she'd struggled against since the moment she'd arrived. "Keep your hands off me."

"Thank you, Simmons, I'll call you when Ms. Sparks is ready to leave," Chuck waved the security guard away.

"I'll be just outside, Sir," Simmons nodded.

"What a welcome," Georgina glared harshly at her one time lover, "You order me to your building, and then have your security team frisk me. They were one step away from strip-searching me. I should press charges."

"Knock yourself out," Chuck encouraged her, "They were merely responding to you assaulting the receptionist with her stapler."

"What is this all about?" Georgina tapped her foot impatiently.

"Have a seat," Chuck urged her, "Can I get you anything? Perhaps a beverage? Do you still like the hard stuff? I have a full bar at my disposal."

"I happen to be a recovery alcoholic," Georgina crossed her arms in front of her chest as she plopped herself down in one of the leather chairs across from his desk.

"They must have changed the definition of recovering," Chuck replied, "If your performance at your son's dance is any indication."

"That was just a minor slip," Georgina insisted, "I've been sober for three months."

"We'll just pretend that you're telling the truth because I'd really like to keep this conversation brief," Chuck responded, not for a minute believing that she was anything more than three hours sober by her bloodshot eye.

"You have your goons haul me back into the city, the least you could do is make it worth my while. How about we have lunch and catch up properly?" Georgina suggested.

"This isn't a reunion between friends. This is business, nothing more," Chuck responded calmly, "What's it going to take to keep you out of our lives forever?"

"I've stayed out of your life," Georgina insisted, "It wasn't until your daughter got her hooks into my little boy that our paths crossed. I bet she's a chip off the old block, right Chuckie. She's probably corrupted half of Manhattan just as her father once did. Now she's trying to corrupt my little angel. I don't know about the other parents, but I will not stand idly by and let that happen. One Bass has already destroyed our family enough."

"And how did I destroy your life?" Chuck inquired. His voice was calmer than he felt. He wanted to jump across his desk and choke the life out of his nemesis for saying one ill word regarding his daughter, but he knew she was baiting him. He wouldn't allow himself to bite.

"You rejected me. You got me high and drunk and used me, then just discarded me like some chewed up piece of gum."

"That's not how I recall it. You got yourself high and drunk all on your own. I just so happened to stumble upon you. You advanced upon me. You seduced me," Chuck replied, "You have no one to blame for your miserable life but yourself."

"And you fought so valiantly," Georgina snorted in disgust. "You dropped your pants faster than a hundred meter sprinter at the Olympics."

"Enough of this trip down memory lane," Chuck replied, "Tell me what it's going to take to get you to stay out of my family's life, and by extension the lives of your sons. It's become painfully clear that they see you as the nuisance that the rest of us do."

"You cannot take my boys away from me," Georgina growled.

"You're right," Chuck nodded, "Taking them away means that you had some sort of relationship to take away. We both know that they cannot tolerate the sight of you."

"I don't have to stand here and take this abuse," she rose with a huff as she dashed towards the door.

"Do they know about Saint Petersburg?" Chuck called out to her. She froze at his words.

"What do you know about Saint Petersburg?" Georgina whipped herself around to look at him, her posture was challenging, but her eyes showed the fear that one of her many secrets had been unearthed.

"Russian mafia, lady of the evening, all of it," Chuck replied, "I never thought you'd sink that low."

"It was a mistake, a misunderstanding," Georgina insisted.

"Maybe the first night," Chuck nodded, "But how can you explain the next three months."

"You are the most manipulative disgusting person on the face of this earth!" she growled, "You have no problem throwing people's mistakes in their faces, but heaven forbid you take responsibility for your own. I should tell your precious little princess about all the heinous things you have done."

"Go right ahead," Chuck baited her, "Charlotte knows about my past, all the truly awful things that I've done. I've seen the error of my ways and turned my life around. You clearly have not."

"What do you want from me?" she hissed.

"It's very simple," Chuck responded calmly, "I'd like you to stay out of the lives of my family. I don't want you anywhere near my wife, my sons, and especially my daughter. If your meddling in the affairs of your sons in any way hurts my daughter, there will be severe consequences."

"You do not have any right to get involved in the relationship with my sons," Georgina hissed.

"Do as you please with your boys, I truly could care less, but I love my daughter in a way you are incapable of imagining," he replied, "Evan is a good kid, despite your blood coursing through his veins, and my daughter has genuine feelings for him. If he hurts my daughter because of something that you have done, I will end you."

"And what is it that you can do to me?" she challenged him again.

"For whatever reason, your parents have seen fit to keep your European adventures fully funded despite all the embarrassment that you cause them. I can promise that free ride that you've been given will end. I will go after your family's company and in doing so, I will drain their bank accounts of every last cent. How long before they pull that trust fund of yours?"

"You couldn't," Georgina stated.

"I could," he chuckled darkly, "Haven't you heard, Georgie, I'm a brilliant businessman. Your daddy's precious company is publicly traded. I just purchased five percent of the company's stock. It won't take much more to gain control, and I know your father. He will do whatever it takes to keep his company safe. He will risk everything, and I'll let him. I'll let him mortgage everything, and then I'll swoop in and buy the banks. That diverse portfolio they have their money invested in will collapse."

"If you're such a brilliant businessman, why are you telling me all of this? You have to know that I'll run straight to Daddy and tell him all of your plans. Your element of surprise is gone," Georgina challenged him.

"I want him to know, and there is even a slim chance that he might actually believe your crazy rant," Chuck stated, "I want him to try and outmaneuver me. The sense of victory will taste that much sweeter. I want him to know that everything could have been prevented if his screwed up daughter had only stayed out of the lives of people that didn't want her there to begin with. I want him to resent you for the rest of his miserable life."

"You are truly the most horrendous person on the face of this earth," Georgina screeched at the top of her lungs.

"Coming from you, Georgina, that is the highest compliment that I've ever received," he chuckled.

She let out a long string of curse words as she stormed out of the office. The security guard had to run to catch up with her.

"Why was Georgina in your office with the door closed, Bass?" Blair inquired as Chuck emerged from his office to watch the scene unfold.

"Blair!" Chuck's eyes went wide at the sight of his wife in his office, "What are you doing here?"

"Eugenia and I had planned on having lunch," she explained, "But you're avoiding my question. What was the spawn doing here?"

"I wanted to have a little chat," Chuck replied, trying to sound casual although he could suddenly hear his heart hammering in his ears, "We laid all of our cards on the table."

"As long as that is all you laid on the table," she eyed him sternly. She could hear Eugenia snickering behind her. "And you didn't tell me about this because?"

"Because it wasn't important for you to know," Chuck finished out her prompt.

Both Chuck and Eugenia froze as Blair slapped him across the cheek.

"What was that for!" he exclaimed as he rubbed at his face. He couldn't believe that she'd slapped him. It had been years since she'd done such a thing in what was clearly a moment of anger.

"How dare you make a move involving our children without first consulting with me, and then have the nerve to be so casual about it," she growled, "I've always know that you were keeping Georgina out of the city. I was okay with that, but then you do this."

"You don't even know what I did," he snarled.

"You're right. I don't because you never told me. We are a team, Bass. We parent our children as a team. When you do something that affects our children, I need to know about it, before you do it. If I hadn't been here to watch Georgina storm out, you never would have told me she was here. Now I wonder what else you've been keeping from me. Is there a mistress or an illegitimate child out there with your beautiful eyes?"

"You know there's not," he replied, "Where would I get the energy for a mistress, your workouts are pretty draining? And if I had an illegitimate child, it would have come out long ago. Those gossip rags would have jumped all over it."

"What else are you keeping from me, Bass?" she held firm, "What decisions have you made about our lives without me?"

"Blair, you are making entirely too big a deal about this," Chuck insisted as he continued to rub at his face. She'd hit him harder than he wanted to admit.

"These are my children, Bass," Blair insisted, "Weren't you the one that was comparing me to Mama Bear?"

"I didn't say that thinking that Mama Bear would attack Papa Bear," he replied.

"Eugenia, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel our lunch. I think Mister Bass and I have a few things to discuss. By all means, keep our reservation and invite that wonderful husband of yours. Make sure that you put the entire meal on Mister Bass's personal accountant," Blair turned towards Chuck's assistant before she returned her attention to her husband, snatching his tie and giving it a hard tug, "Get your jacket. You're taking me to lunch."

"Eugenia, cancel the rest of my afternoon," Chuck told his assistant.

"Don't bother," Blair halted his assistant, "Lunch is all you're getting today, Bass."

"Cancel my afternoon," Chuck repeated as he disappeared into his office to grab his suit jacket.

"What is the point, Bass?" Blair scowled at him as he took her hand and guided her to the elevator.

Eugenia could hear them arguing until the elevator closed with them inside. She couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped as she began rearranging his appointments for later that week. She knew she wouldn't be seeing her boss for the rest of the day. Blair's anger wouldn't last too long. Her boss was simply too charming for his wife to resist.

* * *

"I cannot believe that you tried for limo sex," Blair admonished him as they stepped into their penthouse apartment after having lunch. They'd been going in circles with their argument throughout their brief lunch. The manager had the nerve to ask them to leave as they were disturbing the other patrons, so Chuck had told their driver to return them to the penthouse so they could finish their argument in the comforts of their own home.

"I did not try for limo sex," he told her, "I was merely reaching for your hand to get your attention as you'd been giving me the silent treatment since we left the restaurant."

"I have never been so humiliated as I was today," Blair snapped, "We were asked to leave one of my favorite restaurants in all of New York City because you couldn't keep your voice down. Now I can never go back there. It's all your fault."

"They didn't ban you for life, Waldorf," he rolled his eyes. "You can go back whenever you like?"

"And risk further humiliation, I think not, and it's Bass to you, you Basshole. I've been a Bass for seventeen years. Keep that straight."

"What more do you want from me?" Chuck threw up his hands in exasperation, "I've told you all the details of the threat I made against Georgina. I have nothing further to give you."

"I haven't heard anything yet that resembles an apology," Blair snapped.

"Are you serious!" he hissed, "Has it really been this simple? I could have avoided the public spectacle if I'd offered up a simple apology."

"No, it's not that simple," she crossed her arms as she gave him her stern glare, "I don't know if I can trust you after what you just pulled."

"You can't mean that."

"I mean it," she held firm, "We've been together for over half my life now, and I have never felt like I do now. I know you love me and the children more than anything in this world. I know that you would do anything within your power to protect us, but I have always thought that when it came to something like this that you would at least discuss it with me before you acted."

"I'm sorry," he replied, "I'm sorry I didn't discuss my plans with you. I'm sorry that I acted behind your back, but please don't tell me that you cannot trust me. We worked too hard and have come too far."

"I'm not saying that we have to start back over from square one," Blair assured him as her anger lessened. The sudden panic in his eyes brought her back to that emotionally closed off man that she'd first fallen in love with that had been unable to express his true feelings. She knew where his thoughts were taking him, and it broke her heart. After having all those years together, he still had thoughts that he was not good enough for her. "I'm not packing my bags, Bass. I love you unconditionally and nothing you could do would ever change that. I know that with a little bit of work we can get back to where I trust you unconditionally as well, but you have to start telling me everything. You cannot pick and choose anymore."

"So every business deal, every interaction I have throughout the day, every dollar that I spend," he concluded.

"Don't patronize me, Bass," she scowled, "You know darn well that I don't give a damn about any of that. I'm talking about the truly important things, things that affect the lives of our children, things that affect our friends and family, and things that affect our marriage."

"Okay," he nodded, "From this moment on, I'm an open book."

"Good," she replied, "Now tell me what else you have planned."

"Nothing," Chuck told her, "Unless Georgina makes some sort of move against us, this is the end of it."

"For your sake, I hope you're right," Blair cautioned him.

**TBC . . .**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Those of you that have stuck with me through this story, I owe you a gigantic thank you.**

"Mom, Daddy, why are you home so early?" Charlotte inquired as she came home from school a few days later to see her parents talking quietly in the dining room. On occasion her father would duck out of his office and greet his children as they returned from their school days, but never was her mother home and never did they have such serious expressions on her face. "Is everything alright?"

"Daddy has something to tell you, Charlotte," Blair bit her lip as she looked towards her husband. The guilt was written all over his face. He'd been dreading this moment since he'd been given the news a few hours earlier.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked as she took a seat. She instantly feared that perhaps one of her grandparents was ill, most likely Lily. That would certainly be the worst news she could receive and explain the somber expressions on her parents faces, particularly her father's.

"I was given some news today," Chuck began as he reached for his daughter's hand with his free one, "Evan's mother is in the hospital."

"That awful Georgina," Charlotte replied, "Why?"

"She was found unconscious in a hotel room in Lower Manhattan," Chuck replied, "It appears that she overdosed."

"Is she going to be okay?" Charlotte inquired as her father raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"It's too soon to know for sure," Blair spoke up as Chuck became a loss for words.

"There is something else that you need to know, Charlotte," Chuck replied as he found his voice again. As Charlotte looked at him with her doe eyes, his voice faltered once more.

"Daddy, just tell me," Charlotte requested.

"I had Georgina brought to see me a few days ago. I wanted to make it clear that if she caused you any pain as a result of her relationship with her son, that I would do anything within my power to make her life miserable," Chuck replied.

"And Daddy thinks he might be directly responsible for Georgina's overdose," Blair added as once again Chuck's voice faltered. Blair hated how hard he was being on himself. She knew that Georgina had been spiraling towards this moment for most of her life. That she hadn't ended up in the hospital before then had been a miracle.

"So Daddy gave Georgina the drugs," Charlotte concluded.

"No," Chuck's eyes went wide at his daughter's thought.

"Daddy, I don't understand how you could be responsible then," Charlotte frowned, "Evan says that she's been in and out of rehab since he was a little boy. He said it's just going to be a matter of time before he got a call from his brother saying that she was in the hospital or the morgue."

"Charlotte's right," Blair chimed in, "Georgina has been looking for any excuse to lose it. You might have given her a nudge, but she's been heading towards this inevitable conclusion since before you and I ever knew her. You may have been party to her life style, but you certainly didn't start her down this path nor did you give her the push this time."

"Tell that to Fred and Evan," Chuck replied as he stood up from the table and exited the room.

"I should call Evan," Charlotte stated.

"That's a good idea," Blair nodded, "He's going to need your support."

"What about Daddy?" Charlotte inquired.

Blair smiled warmly at her daughter. She was every bit the adoring 'Daddy's Little Girl' that she had been since birth. The number one man in her life was still her father, despite the other man in her life that was making an attempt to lay claim to that title. Blair suddenly realized that although her daughter was fond of the young man, Evan wasn't going to be the leading man in her life forever. Charlotte had been right in saying that Evan was her Nate. He was her safe first dip into the world of dating.

"Don't worry about Daddy right now," Blair smiled, "Go call Evan. I'm sure he'll be in need of a good friend right now."

"Okay," Charlotte nodded after taking a few moments to contemplate her options.

* * *

"Blair, I know what you're going to say, and I appreciate the effort," Chuck began as a familiar hand pulled the glass of vodka out of his and set it aside.

"What are you really worried about?" Blair inquired as she began massaging his shoulders as he looked out the picture window of his study, "The sudden turn Georgina's tale has taken is tragic, we both know that you are not responsible for it."

"I don't believe that it is a coincidence that she ended up in the hospital not even a week after our conversation," Chuck replied.

"Did you load the syringe for her? Did you push the drugs into her system?" Blair pressed.

"No, but . . ." Chuck began.

"No buts," Blair cut him off with a finger to his lips, "This is Georgina Sparks. This was bound to happen. Tipping point or not, she made her choice. You were only doing what you thought was best for our daughter."

"If I'd spoken to you first, you would have talked me out of it, and this never would have happened," Chuck insisted.

"What makes you think I would have talked you out of it?" Blair replied, "My anger regarding your meeting with Georgina was strictly based on the fact that you never told me what you were up to or that you would exclude me from the conversation. I never said that I disagreed with your tactic. I don't want Georgina anywhere near our daughter. As proven over the past few days, she is far from the positive influence I want my daughter exposed to."

"You don't think I went too far?" Chuck inquired as he swiveled around in his chair and pulled her into his lap.

"No," she shook her head, "You did what was necessary to protect Charlotte. Your original threat to Georgina when she was my roommate in college was much more harsh."

"If she doesn't make it through this, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself," Chuck admitted.

"Don't say that, Bass," Blair scolded him, "I'm going to say this until I'm blue in the face, and then I'm going to bring in Charlotte to say the same thing. This is not your fault."

There was a timid knock at the study door that startled them both.

"Who is it?" Blair called out.

"Charlotte," their daughter called from the other side of the closed door.

"Come in, Sweetheart," Blair encouraged her, "Your daddy and I are decent."

Charlotte took a tentative step into her father's office. It had been her experience that her definition of decent was much different from her mother's. She let out a pronounced sigh of relief when she realized they were still fully clothed.

"What is it, Princess?" Chuck inquired as Blair rose off his lap.

"Would you mind if I wasn't home for dinner?" she asked, "I just spoke with Evan. He and Fred are at the hospital. He's pretty upset, and Magnus is on some Vanderbilt family bonding retreat. I think he needs some company. I'll be home by curfew, of course."

"I'll go with you, Sweetheart," Chuck offered.

"You don't have to," Charlotte replied, "I can go myself. Fred and his sister-in-law are there, and . . ."

"I'll stay out of his sister-in-law's sight," Chuck assured her.

"Okay," Charlotte nodded, "I'll just go get my bag. I already called Arthur. He said he'd have the car downstairs in a few minutes."

"Are you sure this is wise?" Blair inquired once she and Chuck were alone again.

"Charlotte is my first priority," Chuck told her.

"Just don't do anything silly," Blair cautioned him.

"Like confess?" Chuck offered with a sullen smile.

"Yes, that would be silly," she nodded, "You didn't do anything."

"I just want to be there for Charlotte," he insisted, "Aside from the few ear surgeries she had as a small girl and the trips to visit you after having Brice and Aiden, she's never spent any time in a hospital. They can be scary places when you aren't visiting the maternity wings."

"Okay," Blair sighed, "But if you get the urge . . ."

"I'll call you first so that you can talk me out of it," he assured her with a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Good," she replied as she pulled him to her to give him a deeper kiss. "Remember that it's a school night, so do not let Charlotte stay out too late. I love you, Bass."

"I love you too," Chuck nodded as he kissed her one more time before he joined Charlotte, who was waiting patiently at the elevator.

* * *

"Mister Bass, it wasn't necessary for you or Charlotte to come," Evan stated as he greeted his girlfriend's father with the familiar stutter as he shook Chuck's hand.

"Charlotte wanted to come," Chuck replied as he stepped back as Charlotte leaned in and kissed his cheek. "How is your mother?"

"The doctors don't really know yet," Evan replied as he slumped down in his chair again, "They're running all these tests and talking over all of our heads. All we really know is that Georgina is still unconscious, but breathing on her own. From the sound of things, that was pretty miraculous."

"If you'd like, I could call in the best in whatever field is needed," Chuck offered.

"How about a neurosurgeon to perform a lobotomy?" Evan spat out bitterly.

"Evan," Charlotte scolded him, "You do not mean that."

"If you could just find some sort of procedure that will erase the last forty-eight hours?" Evan sighed.

"Did something happen Evan that you haven't told me about?" Charlotte inquired.

Evan thought for a moment about the best way to approach the situation before he settled on the truth. "I had a run in with her on my way to school yesterday morning," he admitted, "She was high on lord knows what and talking like a crazy person. Her words all ran together and it was hard to make out what she was saying, but the general gist I was able to get out of it was that I was to leave Manhattan forever with her. It was supposedly safer that way. I lost my temper. I told her that I would never go will such a crazy woman. I told her that I wished that she wasn't my mother and that I was better off if she'd just died. I didn't mean it though. I was angry. I didn't think she'd actually listen to me. She never had before."

"Evan, did she O.D. on purpose?" Chuck pressed.

"We don't know," Evan admitted as a stray tear rolled down his cheek, "There was no note left as far as anyone is able to tell. The police are leaning towards accidental because of what was left in the room."

"Evan, the doctors are wanting to speak with us," Fred stated as he popped his head into the waiting room. He did a double take as he recognized the two additional visitors sitting next to his brother. "Oh, hello, Charlotte, Mister Bass."

"How's your mother, Mister Sparks?" Charlotte inquired as she rose to her feet as Chuck quickly extended his hand to Fred in greeting.

"She's regaining consciousness," Fred replied as Evan tried to discreetly wipe away the unshed tears in his eyes without having his brother notice. Fred generally kept a stiff upper lip when it came to issues concerning their mother. He was always admonishing Evan for being too soft. "The doctors need us to come to some sort of conclusion regarding her care. It's still too early to be certain, but it appears that she suffered a stroke and has some paralysis."

"We're very sorry to hear that," Chuck replied, "Is there anything that we can do for you?"

"Nothing at the moment," Fred shook his head, "But Evan, you need to come with me."

"Go ahead," Charlotte encouraged him, "We'll wait here for you."

Evan nodded as he squeezed her hand before he followed his brother. It was clear that he was in over his head.

As Chuck and Charlotte waited for Evan's return, Chuck's mind raced back to his father's accident. The parallels were unmistakable, yet there were definite differences. Chuck hadn't let Blair join him at the hospital. She wasn't waiting for him in the waiting room despite how much he knew she wanted to be there for him.

"What are you thinking about, Daddy?" Charlotte inquired as she observed her father for a few moments. She knew him so well that she could tell his mind was racing.

"Grandpa Bart," Chuck sighed, "And his accident."

"When he died," Charlotte added.

"I pushed everyone away in the days following," Chuck replied, "I couldn't handle everyone telling me what I was supposed to be feeling, how sad I must be that my father had passed away, but sadness wasn't an emotion that I was having. I felt guilty for that, so I drowned myself in whatever I could get my hands on."

"But Mom and Nate rescued you," Charlotte prompted him.

"For a little while," Chuck nodded, "It's hard to remember what thoughts were going through my head. I remember feeling safe with your mother that night I went to her, but as I watched her sleep I knew that I'd drag her down by staying."

"That's when you left," Charlotte nodded.

"To save your mother," Chuck replied as he grasped his daughter's hand and kissed it lightly, "I should have stayed. I didn't need to save your mother. I needed her to save me."

"Mom always says that you saved yourself," Charlotte smiled.

"She saved me," Chuck corrected his daughter. Before he could elaborate, Evan returned to the room looking like he'd just been run over by a Mac truck. Charlotte didn't hesitate as she went and embraced him.

"The doctor says that she may never fully recover. When she's a little better, they want to move her to an assisted living facility. The doctors were quick to warn us that it might be permanent," Evan explained.

"What about home care?" Charlotte suggested.

"That would require her having a home to go to," Evan replied, "In case you've missed it, my grandparents aren't here, and Julia will never allow our mother into her home."

"I'm sorry, Ev," Charlotte smiled slightly.

"Charlee, we're going to be here pretty late. You should go home. I'm sure you have a ton of schoolwork," Evan stated.

"Nonsense," Charlotte waved off his suggestion, "I'm going to get everyone some coffee. I'll be back in a minute." She sent her father a cautionary look. She'd learned that look from her mother. It was his warning to behave.

Once the two men were alone, Evan turned to Chuck. "Mister Bass, please make Charlotte to go home. I know she means well, but she can't do anything here."

"Evan, I'm going to get you a bit of free advise when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex," Chuck laughed, "Never will she do what you want her to do if it is not her idea, especially my daughter. Charlotte has her own mind."

"She can't do anything by staying here," Evan insisted.

"She can be here for you," Chuck replied, "Trust me when I say you cannot have enough support when going through something like this. Charlotte wants to help you, and the more you push her away the harder she is going to fight to stay."

"How do you know this?" Evan inquired as he slumped into the chair next to Chuck.

"Because she is just like her mother," Chuck replied, "And I was in a situation similar to yours. The parallels between you and I are hard to ignore. We both are loners with absent parents. My mother died the day I was born. My father died my senior year in a car accident, so I know what you are going through right now. My relationship with my father was distant. Even when we were in the same room together we were virtually strangers. I had the same thoughts as you had, that I'd be better off without him and that it would be better if he was dead because emotionally he already was."

"How do you live with the guilt of those feelings?" Evan asked as the tears began well in his eyes.

"I don't," Chuck replied, "I had to find a way to let those feelings go entirely. It took a long time. What's done is done. I could not change anything from the past, but I had a chance to change the future. I chose to let go of the anger so that I could be the father that mine never was, the one that Charlotte and her brothers deserved."

"Charlotte is so different from me," Evan replied, "She has this perfect life with perfect parents. She knows nothing of what I've gone through."

"Perhaps not first hand, but my wife and I have been very open regarding our difficult childhoods. History does not need to repeat itself if you put your mind to it."

"I don't want any part of my mother's life," Evan spit out bitterly.

"That's good to hear," Chuck replied, "Because I don't want my daughter associating with someone who would, but the game has changed. Georgina is going to need your support now. It may be the last thing you want to do, but for better or worse, she is your mother."

"I expected you to be the last person to tell me to support my mother," Evan replied.

"And no one is more surprised with the words of advice I'm offering," Chuck replied, "You know a little of the life that Georgina led during those years you were raised by her parents, but you've always had someone else looking out for you. She wasn't as lucky. She's been searching her entire life for someone to care about her."

"She has never been anything close to the mother that I've needed."

"But in her own messed up way, she does love you," Chuck assured him.

"Maybe I'll give it a try," Evan sighed.

Chuck nodded as Charlotte bounced into the waiting room while balancing several cups of coffee on a tray.

"Sorry I took so long. I kept spilling cups of coffee on my way back here. This serving thing is harder than Dorota makes it look," Charlotte explained as she offered Evan the first cup.

"Thank you, Charlee," Evan smiled as he took the first sip as Charlotte stepped towards her father with another cup.

"I brought some for Julia and Fred too," she replied as she set the tray down and took a seat next to Evan. "Did Daddy behave while I was gone?"

Chuck couldn't hide the chuckle that escaped, "No, Sweetheart, I threatened to grind Evan into hamburger in your absence. He took it pretty well."

"Daddy, you didn't!" Charlotte gasped in surprise.

"He's kidding," Evan managed a chuckle of his own, "He actually helped me see that while Georgina hasn't been the best mother, I can still be the best son and stand by her through her recovery."

Charlotte began looking around the room for something.

"What are you looking for, Princess?" Chuck watched his daughter curiously.

"My father," Charlotte replied, "You look just like him, but from what Evan just said I think an alien has abducted you. To say you don't like Georgina is putting it mildly."

"She's certainly never been my favorite person, but she's still Evan's mother," Chuck stated.

* * *

On the ride back to their penthouse, Charlotte's head was resting on her father's shoulder as she fought to keep her eyes open. It was well after midnight. Chuck had already promised that she didn't have to go to school the next day. She'd put up a mild fight as he'd expected but conceded when she realized that she had a test that she was suppose to take and hadn't taken the time to study.

"Daddy, thank you for coming with me," Charlotte yawned as she burrowed into her father's chest.

"You never have to thank me, Sweetheart," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"Then thank you for being so nice to Evan," she replied, "And for being the best daddy in the world."

"For you, Charlotte, I would do anything," he replied.

"I know," she smiled, "And that's why I love you so much."

"I love you too, Princess," he smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

Not having the heart to wake her, Chuck carried his sleeping angel into their building. The elevator chiming the arrival on their floor slightly woke Charlotte as she stumbled to her bedroom.

"She's not going to school tomorrow, is she?" Blair asked with concern as she excited his study and greeted her husband with a smile and a warm embrace.

"She wanted to, but I talked her out of it," Chuck replied as he wrapped his arms tight around his wife's waist.

"You're looking a little lighter, Bass," she replied as she relaxed against his shoulder. The guilt he had been feeling earlier wasn't nearly as evident as it had been when he'd left with Charlotte earlier, "How's Georgina?"

"She conscious and breathing on her own, but she most likely will never fully recover," he replied.

"You aren't still blaming yourself, are you?" she inquired.

"No," he shook his head, "I'm only part of her problem. She also got into an argument with Evan prior to her overdose with is also to blame, and I'm actually wondering if she didn't get a tainted batch of whatever drug of choice she was using. I'm having my P.I. look into it."

"What don't you have your P.I. involved in?" she chuckled with an amused shake of her head. He'd given his private investigator a reprieve for a few years when they first became involved, but since the children had been born he'd worked the poor man to the bone.

"Blair, I think we should help Georgina's family chose the best assisted living facility," he told her.

"Don't you think that is a decision that should be left up to her family?" she inquired, "I know you feel as if you had a hand in all of this, but where are you going to draw the line. After she gets settled are you going to pay for her care, hire her a private nurse?"

"Perhaps," he nodded.

"You are tying Charlotte to this family for the rest of her life if you do this," Blair replied, "Yes, she's smitten with this boy, but Evan may not be the love of her life. But with you footing the bill, she may feel obligated to stick it out. That's not fair to Charlotte."

"What do I do? Nothing?" Chuck replied in frustration.

"Offer to help find a decent assisted living facility if you must do something, but draw the line there," Blair replied, "Her family expects nothing."

"It's this damn heart you've cursed me with," he sighed.

"It's a strong heart, a big heart," she replied as she tapped at his chest, "That heart has always been your biggest asset even when you thought it was a curse."

"It's your heart," he told her as his hand rose to cover hers, "Everything good in me is because of you. My heart merely had a beat until you taught me how to truly live."

"We taught each other, and together we've taught our children," she smiled as she began to slowly unbutton his shirt, "Now how about you and I lock ourselves in our bedroom, and I'll remind you of what a good teacher you once were."

"It's nearly three in the morning," he told her as he held up his wrist to show her the face of his watch.

"When has the lateness of the hour ever stopped us, Handsome?" she teased as she pecked at his lips before darting towards their bedroom.

**TBC . . .**

**I think there is one chapter left in this adventure. Stay tuned.**

**And please let me know what you all are thinking for the next journey.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Hello, Mister Bass," Fred greeted Chuck a few days later as he paid his one time nemesis another visit. "Charlotte and Evan are still in school."

"I am well informed of my daughter's activities," Chuck assured him as he shook the young man's hand, "I came to see how Georgina was doing."

"She flutters in and out of consciousness. There isn't much recognition in her eyes, and the only sounds she's able to make are grunts and moans," Fred replied, "She's likely in for a long recovery."

"Have you and Evan settled on an assisted living facility?" Chuck inquired as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat.

"No," Fred replied as he looked towards the large stack of papers he'd been given by the doctors, "It's a lot to process."

"I might be the last person that you want to accept help from when it comes to your mother, but I've had my people do some research," Chuck stated as he handed Georgina's elder son a file folder of research that he'd had put together by not only his private investigators, but also several of the doctors that work in the laboratories in Bass's drug research division, "There is an excellent facility just outside the city. It's a short train ride, so you'd be able to visit anytime."

"That assumes that I'd want to," Fred muttered, "And given your history with her, why are you agreeing to help? Is there an ulterior motive?"

"Your mother and I had our differences," Chuck replied, "But I'd never use her current condition to my advantage. Maybe once upon a time, but I'm a different person than the boy she once knew."

"I've always wanted to ask you something," Fred stated, "When I was a little boy, did you threaten to turn her in to Children and Family Services, or was that one of her drug inspired rants?"

"It was the truth," Chuck sighed as he patted the back of the exhausted young man.

"Why didn't you? My life could have been so much easier."

"You don't know that," Chuck replied, "Yes, growing up with Georgina fleeting in and out of your life was hard, but going into foster care may have been worse."

"But it also could have been better. Georgina's parents were no picnic."

"I didn't turn her in because she asked me not to," Chuck explained, "Right or wrong, she made a choice. I know what it's like to not feel wanted. In her own messed up way, she wanted you. She deserved a chance to get it right."

"But she never did, and she never will," Fred stated.

"She might," Chuck replied, "This might be the change that she needs."

"She's practically a vegetable," Fred snorted sarcastically.

"But there is a chance for her to recover, maybe not fully, but enough to have a meaningful quality of life. Forgiving her maybe the hardest thing you have do, but you'll forever hate yourself if you don't at least try."

"I never had a change to be a kid because of her. As soon as Evan was born, I knew I had to look out for him because no one else would. She robbed me of my childhood because she couldn't get her act together," he replied, the bitterness oozing out of each word.

"I know where you are coming from, and I know all about missed childhoods. I held onto my anger for many years, but it got me nowhere," Chuck offered up his experience.

"You know nothing of the life I've lived," Fred snapped, "You don't know how I had to protect Evan. The memories that he has of her are nothing close to the way she truly was. I kept him sheltered from all of that."

"Then you deserve the credit for kind hearted young man that he's become," Chuck replied, "And I hope that you one day find the closer to your own anger, for your own sake."

"Thank you for bringing this by," Fred stated as he held up the folder of information, "I realize that you're only doing this because Charlotte is dating my brother."

"I'd like to think that I would have done this either way, but you're welcome. If there is anything you or she needs, feel free to give me a call," Chuck replied. Fred took a quick glance through the folder.

Fred nodded as Chuck patted his back before leaving.

* * *

"Daddy!" Charlotte moaned as she ran straight into her father's arms when he arrived home. She had tears streaming down her cheeks that broke his heart.

"What is wrong, Princess?" Chuck replied as his arms went around her as he caught sight of his wife walking into the entryway.

"Evan and I broke up," she mumbled into his chest.

Chuck's eyes connected with Blair's. He could see the relief in them.

"I'm glad you're home," Blair sighed as she stepped forward and kissed her husband's cheek, "Perhaps you'll have better luck with figuring out what happened."

"You don't know?" Chuck asked.

"She called me at the office. She was hysterical, so I came straight home. She's been like this ever since," Blair explained as she ran her hand through her daughter's hair.

"Sweetheart, why don't we go into my office, and the three of us can talk about what happened," Chuck suggested.

Charlotte nodded into his chest. Blair's arm came around her waist as mother and daughter walked into Chuck's office as he quickly divested himself of his communication toys. Charlotte's head was rested against her mother's shoulder as the pair sat on the leather sofa when he entered. Blair's fingers were gently stroking through her daughters soft locks rhythmically.

"Did the two of you have a fight?" Blair inquired as Chuck sat himself down on the opposite side of his daughter, his arms sliding behind Charlotte's shoulders so that he could stroke his wife's shoulder softly.

"No, it was nothing like that," Charlotte shook her head.

"Then what happened, Sweetheart?" Chuck inquired.

"He's been so lost since his mother's overdose. He spends all his time outside of school at the hospital with her. He said that his first priority needs to be her right now. I told him that I understood that. I suggested that perhaps with so much going on in his life that maybe it was a good idea for us to take a step back and just be friends. He agreed, so I gave him back his bracelet," Charlotte sniffled through her explanation.

Chuck quickly fished out a tissue from the box on the end table next to him and dabbed at his daughter's watery eye before he handed her the tissue.

"So it was your idea, Sweetheart," Blair replied.

"Yes," she nodded. "I know it's for the best. He's a really nice boy, but the only time I feel a spark is when his life is hovering near chaos. I don't want to keep waiting for chaos."

"If it was your idea, why are you so upset?" Chuck asked gently.

"He was my first boyfriend. Isn't this how I'm supposed to feel?" Charlotte looked at him with her doe eyes.

"There's no right or wrong way to feel," Blair assured her as she looked at the perplexed look on her husband's face. She had to bit her lip to keep from laughing as Charlotte's head came to rest against her shoulder once again.

"Is it okay to invite him over for dinner occasionally?" Charlotte inquired, "We did agree to stay friends, and that is a friendly thing to do, isn't it?"

"Yes," Blair replied as she pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead, "That is a very sweet thing to do. He's going to need all the support he can get."

"I don't say this enough, but thank you for being the greatest parents," Charlotte replied as she hugged her mother as tight as she could before she turned to hug her father.

"The greatest thanks is having such a wonderful daughter," Chuck replied as he tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"I'm going to wash my face before dinner," Charlotte announced.

"That's a good idea, Sweetheart," Blair smiled as she and her husband watched her daughter walk off.

"Is it wrong that I'm a little happy about this?" Chuck inquired as Blair shifted on the sofa so that she could snuggle in his arms.

"I know you want to jump for joy," Blair giggled, "But don't get too excited just yet. There is a chance that they will reunite. Even if they don't, there is always another boy lurking right around the corner."

"Is it took late to spend her to an all girls boarding school?" he groaned.

"You did well for your first time out," Blair chuckled, "Think of Evan as dipping your toe into Charlotte's dating pool."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for her to jump all the way in," he sighed.

"One step at a time, Handsome," she chuckled as she patted his chest lovingly. "We'll get through it."

"Together," he added as he pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply.

"They're at it again," Aiden groaned as he and his brother passed their father's open office door.

"It's a good thing Dad had that vasectomy, or we'd have a hundred siblings by now," Brice added.

Chuck and Blair broke away laughing.

"God I love our life," Chuck continued to laugh as Blair rose from the sofa and pulled him along with her. He tried to grope her the entire way to the dinner table.

"Get a room already," Aiden groaned.

"Litter of children," Brice repeated as he eyes his brother as Chuck held Blair's chair for her as Charlotte bounced into the room and took her usual place at the table.

"What's he talking about" Charlotte eyed her youngest brother.

"Dad was groping Mom," Aiden explained.

"Again," she sighed as she narrowed her eyes in her father's direction, "Isn't that something that should be done on the confines of your own bedroom."

"Who's the parent here?" Chuck laughed.

The laughter rang around the table as their evening dinner was served. He and Blair had all the money in the world, yet this was how he measured how successful he was in life, by the happiness of those he loved most. As he looked around at his wife and children he realized that he was truly the luckiest man in the world.

**The End**

**Thank you all for joining me on this journey. It has been a great ride. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have.**


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